Belgium’s Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain has shut down a beef processing plant and a cold store and ordered the recall of burgers and oxtail products because of “a potential risk to consumers”.

Some 20 food safety inspectors and 41 police officers raided the site operated by Veviba in Bastogne two weeks ago.

The agency reported that “old” deep-frozen meat was changed into “young” meat by falsifying the date of freezing.

Inspectors also found that meat unfit for human consumption was still being sold. This included minced beef that had been in contact with the knife used to cut the throats of cows.

The factory has lost its licence and its burgers and oxtail, which were sold only in Belgium, have been fully recalled, authorities said.

Review

The Belgian scare comes as UK food safety authorities are conducting a review of all meat-cutting plants.

This follows investigations into alleged breaches of regulations at the British meat processors, Russell Hume and 2 Sisters Food Group.

UK industry-wide review into meat processing

Reputation is everything in the food industry

Date label and knife swaps in Belgian beef scare

Leading Belgian retailers have withdrawn beef products from a factory under investigation by the country's food safety authority days after a similar scare erupted in the UK.