---
title: "The Horsemeat Scandal: What Happened and Lessons Learned"
description: It’s estimated that as many as 14.5 million ready meals across 13 European countries may have contained horsemeat labelled as beef or other ingredients.
---

[Food Safety Blog | Food Safety Tips | AIFS ](https://blog.foodsafety.com.au)

# [The Horsemeat Scandal: What Happened and Lessons Learned](https://blog.foodsafety.com.au/the-great-horsemeat-scandal-explained)

 Written by [Australian Institute of Food Safety](https://blog.foodsafety.com.au/author/australian-institute-of-food-safety) | Feb 28, 2013 5:00:00 AM

With recent news that IKEA have withdrawn their infamous meatballs from menus across Europe due to horsemeat contamination, it doesn’t seem like this scandal is going to disappear anytime soon.

In fact, it’s estimated that as many as 14.5 million ready meals across 13 European countries may have contained horsemeat whilst labelled as beef or other ingredients.

If you’re starting to get confused with the ins and outs of the scandal – who’s involved, what countries did the horsemeat come from, and why it may be dangerous – you’re not alone. That’s why we’ve collated everything that you need to know into this handy infographic…

For example, did you know that in Japan there is an ice cream made of horsemeat? Yes, really. Read on and discover more…

 Copyright Australian Institute of Food Safety

 

[View full post](https://blog.foodsafety.com.au/the-great-horsemeat-scandal-explained)

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