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An investigation has been launched into the labelling of beef in a number of Eurospar stores, on the back of complaints from farmers.
In a statement to the Irish Farmers Journal, the HSE said it received two complaints via the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in relation to beef labelling in two convenience store premises and is investigating the issue.
The beef in question had the number 0922 beside the country of origin, reared in and slaughtered in on its labels. This was the case for a pack of boneless T-bone steak and a pack of stewing beef.
An FSAI spokesperson said the labels were “not compliant with the country-of-origin labelling requirements for beef”.
Under EU law, consumers must be told the reference number or reference code permitting the identification of the animal(s) from which the beef was derived; the name of the country where the animal was born, the country where the animal was slaughtered and the country where the carcase was processed.
A Bord Bia spokesperson said that the number 0922 does not correspond or relate to any meat plant within Bord Bia’s Meat Processor Quality Assurance Scheme.
“The label is unclear to consumers and is an issue for the FSAI to investigate; members of the public can report these non-compliances to the FSAI,” she said.
Eurospar comment
A spokesperson for Eurospar Ireland said it was not in a position to comment on the specific products in question as it doesn’t have sufficient details around the source of these products.
“However, we would like to confirm that all beef and lamb products supplied by Eurospar Ireland’s distribution centre to its independent retailers are 100% Irish.
“The labelling of meat supplied for in-store butchery counters by Eurospar Ireland is the responsibility of individual independent retailers and is undertaken at store level. Occasionally, human or mechanical error can result in the mislabelling of some products,” the spokesperson said.
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