No horse meat found in South Gloucestershire school dinners (From Gazette Series)

No horse meat found in South Gloucestershire school dinners

9:00am Saturday 9th March 2013 in News By Marion Sauvebois

PARENTS have been assured by the local authority that their children’s school dinners did not contain horse meat.

Following the EU-wide horse DNA scandal, hundreds of schools in the country serving processed beef dishes, withdrew the products from their menus.

This was not the case in South Gloucestershire, however, and the district has now confirmed it had not ordered meat from the suppliers implicated in what some have called an international conspiracy.

A South Gloucestershire Council spokesman set the record straight and reassured staff and parents that their children's school dinners were safe.

"South Gloucestershire Council's catering service would like to reassure schools and parents of the safety of its school meals.

"We do not purchase processed beef dishes for use in our school meals, nor do we purchase foods from any of the suppliers implicated in the press coverage.

"All our meals are all freshly prepared on school premises, using ingredients and provisions purchased through formal contract arrangements, with strict controls on product sources."

He added: "Our meat suppliers have provided confirmation of the source and traceability of their products, as part of routine product audit trails. School meals in South Gloucestershire remain safe."