Feds to Beef Up Horse-Meat Testing

With horse meat having turned up in foods all across Europe, the USDA said yesterday it will step up its "species testing" on meat imports, reports NBC News. In the past, such testing only occurred when there was a reason to doubt the purity of a shipment. Though the order didn't outline a specific testing schedule, it directs inspectors to up testing on imports from the UK, Poland, Iceland, and Ireland, as well as on all imported raw ground beef and veal. A USDA rep explained that while it is confident about the effectiveness of its current system, the change will "enhance current safeguards and prevent fraudulently labeled products from entering the country." (More horse meat stories.)