Meat industry under scrutiny as horsemeat scandal spreads

London (CNN) -- An emergency meeting is taking place in London Saturday, as ministers, food inspectors and retailers grapple with a scandal over the discovery of horsemeat in beef products that is spreading across Europe.

Retailers in the United Kingdom, France and Sweden pulled millions of lasagna and other processed beef products off the shelves Friday as the alarm was raised.

It comes less than a month after horsemeat was found in hamburgers sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The UK Food Standards Agency said evidence in the two cases "points to either gross negligence or deliberate contamination in the food chain.

"This is why we have already involved the police, both here and in Europe."

The revelations have thrown the meat industry into crisis and revolted many meat eaters in the United Kingdom, where horsemeat is generally considered taboo, although it is commonly eaten in neighboring France, as well as countries including China, Russia, Kazakhstan and Italy.

[link to edition.cnn.com]