Continued
Failure To Vet Beef Supplies Would Result In
Flogging A Dead Horse, Says Food Industry
Tesco, Findus, Aldi and
other food suppliers named in the recent
horsemeat revelations, today formed a consortium
to try to re-establish confidence in their beef
products, and to put the meat-contamination
scandal behind them.
‘We do not wish to be
permanently saddled with a reputation for
unbridled carelessness in sourcing our products,’
said a spokesman for the consortium. ‘We
must take the bit between our teeth and go the
extra furlong to buck the trend of shoppers
avoiding our processed meat.
‘Our companies have
decided to adopt a collaborative tack so there is
no unfair jockeying for position while the
industry gets back on track. We would not want
the emergence of some dark horse to impact on our
market share. We certainly recognise that it may
be hard going, and there will be many hurdles to
overcome, but we are confident we can stay the
course.
‘We must challenge
consumer groups who have got onto their high
horses over these errors. To blame our members is
to put the cart before the horse - we are simply
innocent victims of our suppliers. Admittedly we
misunderstood when those suppliers guaranteed
very low, stable prices, but who would look such
a gift horse in the mouth?
‘We recognise, however,
that a continued failure to vet beef supplies
would simply result in flogging a dead horse, and
we must rein-in our desires to drive a coach and
horses through the prices of our competitors.
‘Critics say that we
are locking the stable door after the horse has
bolted. We believe, however, that they
should hold their horses until the full outcome
of enquiries are known and we have got all the
facts straight from the horse’s mouth. In
relation to our ready-made casseroles, we have
already begun a stewers’ enquiry.
‘In our direct
approaches to the public, it will be horses for
courses. Younger people will be encouraged to
enter a competition to back us in the social
media, and there will be a prize for the winning
post. Older consumers will be reassured that our
food is a safe bet.
‘Using all the above
measures, we our confident that our new lines in
processed beef products will soon be odds-on
favourites with consumers.’
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