The investigation was carried out by City of London Police following the contamination of food products with horsemeat in January 2013.

Ulrik Nielsen from Denmark, Alex Beech from Hull and Andrew Sideras from London were all charged with conspiracy to defraud following the investigation and will appear on bail in London Magistrate’s Court on 27 September.

A statement from the police said the investigation, which lasted three years, involved several organisations including the Food Standards Agency, the Crown Prosecution Service, and law enforcement agencies across Europe.

A 53-year-old man was also interviewed in connection with the charges, but was later released with no further action.

Contaminated food

Ireland was the first country to spot the contamination, following a sample taken from beef burgers which was found to have contained traces of horsemeat.

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Read the full coverage of the horsemeat scandal here