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Sean Beer returns to BBC Radio Solent to discuss horse meat

18 February 2013

Sean Beer, Senior Lecturer within the School of Tourism, specialising in the food supply chain, was invited back on to Steve Harris' Drive show on BBC Radio Solent to talk about the worsening horsemeat scandal.

During Sean's second appearance on the show he discussed the complicated nature of our food supply chain and how easy it was for the chain to be corrupted. He said, "You are dealing with a very complicated, long supply which is a bit like a sausage with lots of holes in it, and if you put pressure on that sausage the meat just squeezes out of all the holes. We have put a lot of financial pressure on this supply chain and sometimes we get what we pay for!"

When asked if he was surprised that the scandal was continuing he said, "I am not surprised at all. I was a bit surprised that it was horse that came to the fore. It could have been contamination with chicken, lamb or halal slaughtered meat that wasn't halal or it could even have been a pesticide."

As the discussion concluded, Sean finished by saying, "It's not really about horse as many people eat horse around the world. What it is about is trust and the fact that what it says on the label is what we should expect."

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