I REFER to the letter in The Press by Gideon Visser of February 20 in which he praises the boss of Iceland. Malcolm Walker is protecting his company’s multimillion- pound share in the food business. I would take what he says with a pinch of salt.

If criminal elements are prepared to introduce horsemeat into our food chain, they will have no qualms as to the efficacy of this meat; trading standards departments have already detected EU banned pharmaceutical chemicals in this horsemeat.

To state it is a labelling fault only is, sadly, what the food industry and government are trying to brainwash people into believing.

We have a serious reason to be paranoid about this criminal fiasco, and I would not be surprised if it had been going on for a long time. The consequences may not manifest themselves over an even longer time span, by which time the public will have forgotten about this crime.

For the record, I have eaten horse in France, but I prefer beef.

James Whitehead, Huntington, York.

 

• THIS whole subject presents a wonderful opportunity for the developed nations to feed the starving populations of the Third World.

Send what is rejected to the starving millions while our politicians and food barons argue the toss about what they are going to do about who is responsible and what they are going to do about it.

George Appleby, Leighton Croft, Clifton, York.

 

• WITH reference to the horsemeat scandal, it would seem that millions of people have been regularly eating horsemeat believing it to be beef, so clearly they are unable to tell the difference.

Horsemeat properly butchered is in no way harmful as a food product and it is seven times cheaper than beef.

Surely there is a case for putting the banned products back on the market properly labelled and priced so that those people who have regularly eating this product can do so with cost savings.

The world is short of food and this would seem a more sensible approach than destroying it.

Jack Smith, Willow Glade, New Lane, Huntington, York.