If the lasagna product for the Slovenian market supplied by Comigel contains any type of meat other than beef, the supplier did so without the knowledge and approval of Ledo Slovenia, Ledo announced on Tuesday evening, noting that the controversial product will be withdrawn from the market in Slovenia as soon as possible due to possible incorrect labeling, although it is health compliant.
At the same time, Ledo stated that the Ledo lasagna product available on the Croatian market, supplied by Tuttipasta S.A. from Spain, contains exclusively beef.
The Slovenian Food Safety Administration announced on Tuesday that a food item found in Slovenia contained horse meat instead of the declared beef. This concerns beef lasagna produced by “Trada” from Luxembourg, which was found in an Interspar chain store, and the distributor is Ledo Croatia, said Jernej Drofenik, director of the food safety administration at the Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture, at a press conference.
Out of 29 samples of exceptional products tested at the national veterinary institute, 28 tested negative for horse meat, while one tested positive, Drofenik stated.
He noted that the analysis of samples and testing will continue, and other European Union member states will be informed of the results.
Igor Mervič, director of Spar Slovenia, stated on Tuesday afternoon for the business newspaper “Finance” that they have already withdrawn the controversial beef lasagna in a 450-gram package from their stores, but that they will likely have to terminate cooperation with Ledo due to this case. Mervič said that Ledo had guaranteed in writing, at their request, after the outbreak of the horse meat scandal in food products that were declared to contain only beef, that this could not happen with their products.
