Horsemeat is Everywhere, Including IKEA

Well hi there! Wonderful to see you. It really is. I'm not just horsing around when I say that either. What would my blog be without you, eh? Help yourself to some aromatic Arabica and a virtual muffin or pastry, why don't'cha while I natter on about horsemeat? There's none in the virtual muffins in case you're wondering.
 
At the beginning of the year, the European Union was hit in the proverbial gut with a scandal that called into question, what, exactly, was everyone eating? After all of the concern and safeguards put into place after the Mad Cow scare of the 1990s, you would think that the European meat supply would be safe and free of any mislabeling. Think again. In early January samples of, what was believed to be, beef were shown to contain sizable bits of horsemeat. The horse-gate crisis has since expanded to a dozen countries in the EU (with no sign yet of making an appearance in the U.S. but I wouldn’t doubt it) and has set the powers that be in the EU reeling.

Now, the populist modular furniture brand IKEA finds itself embroiled in the controversy with news this week that reveals that some of their ever-popular Swedish meatballs have horsemeat in them. Granted the findings were limited to an IKEA in the Czech Republic, but seemingly the damage is done.

Those of us that don’t eat meat may just dismiss the whole controversy as a case of splitting farm animal hairs (and some of those that do eat meat may not care one iota). However, the health and safety standards in the EU for raising cattle, compared to those of raising horses, are quite different. Because horses are generally not raised for human consumption, they are subject to different standards and exposures to medicines, chemicals, and pathogens. Therefore, even if eating a hamburger is barely considered safe in your book, a horsemeat burger is likely even less safe. While all of this is going on, European nations have stepped up DNA tests of meat products to determine their provenance, and these are producing more unwelcome discoveries every week, and likely weeks to come.

What is your feeling on such findings? Does the fact that the EU (which is traditionally more stringent and progressive than the U.S. in these matters) has failed its public create more concern, or less, for those of us that live in the U.S. as well as other countries? And if we are already eating meat, is horsemeat all that much worse?

We were in IKEA yesterday. With a new house looming on the horizon, we're in the market for ideas, furniture, appliances and what have you. They have a couple neat restaurants there and I must say that folks were digging into the Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes like there was no tomorrow... not to mention horsemeat! They either didn't know or didn't care a hoot about it one way or t'other. Of course they could have all been sophistocated enough to have read and analysed the news and realized there was no horsemeat in IKEA's meatballs within several thousand miles.

Reminds me of that Saskatchewan billboard:

"We love all God's creatures
Right next to the mashed potatoes!"

See ya, eh!

Bob 

John from Erinville comments:

What are these memory excercises?

Bob's response:

It was a test, see, John to make sure you were paying attention! But he did mention social interaction, memorization, keeping active and basically using your brain as much as you can. I like www.lumosity.com. Lots of brain exercises there.  I will be doing a follow up in a few days as well.