Horsemeat Consumption By: Emily Baudler

Six thousand years ago, the horse was first domesticated, since then there has been a growing concern about the health and safety of consuming horsemeat. The amazing animal has posed as a primary source to humans in several areas including; transportation, farming, hunting, war, leisure activities, medicine, and finally consumption. Only up until recently though, has the consumption of horsemeat grown in a controversial way, although it is noted that wild horses have been consumed during the late Paleolithic Era. In Asia horse consumption is in their traditional diet, unlike other places where horsemeat is banned such as, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland. In these locations where horse consumption is a part of the diet, religions consider this meat as a delicacy, while other religions prohibit it. Horsemeat isn’t an everyday item sold at the grocery store; different from other countries such as Europe, shown in Figure 1 (Stanciu, 2015), which has been consuming it for hundreds of years. Europe has used this product during war, shortages, and poverty. The eating habits you can see from the chart differentiate between countries for the same reason as most food products, because of Figure 1: Horsemeat consumers in Europe (Stanciu, 2015) cultural, economic, and social aspects. As we delve deeper into the controversial topic we will discuss the concepts behind these factors and will reflect specifically on consumers’ confidence.

Figure 2: Main components and energy value of horsemeat, beef, veal, pork, lamb, and sheep (Stanciu, 2015)

As a quick background on horsemeat, the industry falls in line with companies producing red meat. It has a similar nutritional composition as red meat such as beef, as well as the look, smell, and color. The difference between the two meats is that horsemeat has been found to have more useful minerals for humans, and fewer calories, as shown in Figure 2 (Stanciu, 2015). We can see from this same table that horsemeat looks to be a superior red meat in the market. “The composition rich in minerals and vitamins are solid arguments used by nutritionists to recommend horse meat consumption to people suffering from anemia” (Stanciu, 2015). A secondary study looked into customer’s confidence in the processed meat industry, and what could possibly be done to overcome the challenges that face it in the future (J. Barnett, 2015). With the help of the consumers we can see the detailed reports of confidence, but how does this all impact this volatile industry?

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Figure 3: Horsemeat production data (Stanciu, 2015)

“A short equine meat production chain could be a potential strategy to satisfy the demand of the modern meat consumer” (Jose M. Lorenzo, 2014). With a growing consumption rate, shown in Figure 3 (Stanciu, 2015), the production of horsemeat is increasing, and making it easier to get it from the producer to the consumer could make the industry grow even more rapidly. This rapid growth would fall on to the economic side, but what social and cultural strain does it put on the consumer? The non standardized horsemeat supply chain, short unregulated purchasing and selling, puts a strain on the market and poses a threat to the confidence of consumers’. “Some participants spoke about the food companies and the authorities being the culprits while others mentioned that the media provided limited and sometimes distorted information, which did not include full details about implementation” (J. Barnett, 2015). With the rise of horsemeat consumption the need for food control processes has increased as well; regulatory agencies and other quality monitoring processes are reflecting “the actual contents” of processed meats (FSAI). In this process the consumers’ wanted to know the reasoning behind the hurdles between the supplier and themselves; they also questioned the reasoning behind this “supply chain” (J. Barnett, 2015). The idea of “sourcing” horsemeat locally was on the agenda for some, while others saw the value and reasoning behind the red tape.

“Since most of the processing industries handle more than one meat species, complete removal of trace levels of DNA may not be practical and hence adventitious presence can only be minimized, as a practical matter it cannot be eliminated entirely and is not unique to meat production” (Premanandh, 2013)

It is difficult for the larger industries to eliminate all problems with meats; it is also difficult for small local industries to do the same. This red tape would only put a strain on the ever-growing production of the meat, and a strain on the cultural, economic, and social side of things. “Horsemeat consumption doesn’t pose any danger to the population if the animal is healthy, if it is slaughtered in specialized units and if the storage and marketing conditions are obeyed” (Stanciu, 2015). The social and cultural changes that are being pushed make it difficult to make sure these conditions are being obeyed. While these pushes will change the industry as a whole, the health and safety of the people will push the economics side of this industry. For 6,000 years the horse industry has grown, as well as the need for food production. “The need for proteins of an increasingly large population will lead to a reconsideration of horse meat consumption” (Stanciu, 2015).

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Works Cited 1. FSAI. FSAI Survey Finds Horse DNA in Some Beef Burger Products. Food Saftey Authority of Ireland.

2. J. Barnett, F. B. (2015). Consumers' confidence, reflections and response strategies following the horsemeat incident. Food Control , 721-730.

3. Jose M. Lorenzo, M. V. (2014, April). Carcass characteristics, meat quality an nutritional value of horsemeat: A review. Meat Science , 1478-1488.

4. Premanandh, J. (2013). Horse meat scandal - A wake-up call for regulatory. Food Control , 34 (2), 568-569.

5. Stanciu, S. (2015). Horse Meat Consumption - Between Scandal and Reality. Procedia Economics and Finance , 697-703.

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