Horse DNA found in two takeaway burgers, FSA says

The FSA is supervising the UK-wide testing programme

Two beefburger products withdrawn from sale over concerns they may contain horsemeat have tested positive, the Food Standards Agency says.

Five samples were checked for the presence of horse DNA above a 1% threshold under a UK-wide programme.

The King Fry Meat Products burger was from Walsall's Pig Out and the Burger Manufacturing Company product was from Nefyn Pizza and Kebab House in Gwynedd.

Two samples did not contain horse DNA and one result is still to be reported.

The Burger Manufacturing Company, based in Powys, withdrew its products in February after tests suggested they contained more than 1% horsemeat, but further tests showed that the level was below 1%.

The latest test was part of the wider local authority programme.

The FSA-supervised testing programme is being conducted by local councils following the earlier recalls of supermarket and caterer meat products containing horsemeat.

The two horsemeat-free samples were found to have pig DNA at below the 1% threshold. Neither product was labelled as halal or kosher, the FSA said.

The FSA also said that late last month a burger from hotel chain Whitbread had tested positive for horse DNA above 1%. However, further test results confirmed that the level of DNA was under the reporting threshold.

Whitbread owns Premier Inn hotels, Brewers Fayre pubs, Table Table pubs and Beefeater restaurants.