Nestlé, owner of Purina pet foods, the company many pet parents love to hate, have one more reason to hate Nestlé: Horse meat.

That’s right: Horse meat.

Nestlé discovered at least two of its products, Beef Ravioli and Beef Tortellini, contain — get ready — horse meat. The brands are sold in Italy and Spain and have since been recalled.

Now wait, just hold your horses — I know this isn’t a pet food news story, but since I love to hate Nestlé-Purina, how could I pass up this juicy tidbit?

Well, I couldn’t. And that’s my only excuse.

It gets worse: An upscale Nestlé brand (upmarket for Nestle, that is), Lasagnes à la Bolognaise Gourmandes, a frozen meat product for catering businesses by Nestlé Professional produced in France was also found to contain horse meat and will also be withdrawn from sale, said the firm.

Meanwhile, Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) said it was “not yet possible” to say whether products in the country are contaminated with phenylbutazone residue in any samples of horse meat.

During an European Union meeting yesterday, the agency is recommending each member state conduct DNA analysis spot checks on 50 samples and then 10 samples to see if the horse meat contain phenylbutazone (or Bute) as drug residues.

Gee…lemme think a sec. What does this remind me of?

Oh yeah, drug residues, mystery meat — it’s what pet parents have to deal with every day.

The difference is, when it comes to food for humans – drug residues and horse meat – those things are considered “adulterants” and grounds for a recall, but drug residues and mystery meat in pet food? The FDA says: Meh.

SOURCE: Food Quality News