FOOD contaminated with horse meat has been found on sale in Nottingham.
Routine tests on a Jamaican beef patty from Miss T's Patties in Palin Court, Radford, were found to contain traces of horse.
Nottingham City Council said the patties – a ready-to-eat meat and pastry snack similar to a pasty – would almost certainly have been consumed by the time food suppliers recalled the batch of meat.
Food inspectors working on behalf of the city council inadvertently found the horse meat when they were carrying out tests to ensure the patties were soya free.
Hyacinth Taylor, who runs Miss T's, said: "I am in the clear with this, and I have a piece of paper from the council to say that. I was selling meat given to me by my supplier."
Details obtained through a freedom of information request found that the patties were "sold through manufacturer's own retail outlet, Miss T's Patties, and through local small retail shops the list of which is not kept on file".
Mrs Taylor, who has been running her business for a year, said she didn't know which other shops also sold her patties and people simply turned up to buy them.
Miss T's Patties receives its meat from a food distribution company called Hopwells, which is based in Bilborough.
A spokesman for Hopwells said: "Hopwells Limited are a long-established frozen food wholesaler and are not involved in manufacturing. We purchase products from trusted suppliers who furnish us with specifications confirming product integrity. On February 22 it came to our notice that a minced beef product had been tested positive for trace equine DNA. We supply this frozen product to a number of customers, including Miss T's.
"As soon as we were aware of the situation we withdrew the product and instigated a recall and the minced beef was returned to our supplier.
"Having spoken to the supplier at length it was agreed that the supplier – Pinnacle Foods in Hampshire – would immediately put in place a positive release regime on all future orders."
Pinnacle Foods Ltd were unavailable for comment, but the Food Standards Agency told the Post it had investigated the company and was satisfied appropriate measures had been put in place to rectify the contamination.
