Horse drugs detected in Nikas beef products
A drug used to treat fever and pain in horses has been detected in beef products manufactured by Nikas, the Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) said on Friday.
The Nikas Moschari product line has been removed from shop shelves since the end of March, the watchdog added.
The drug was found in a batch of meat that tested positive for horse DNA and which had been imported from Italy.
Earlier this week, a joint assessment from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) concluded that the illegal presence of residues of phenylbutazone in horse meat is of little concern for consumers due to the low likelihood of exposure and the overall low likelihood of toxic effects. However, the agencies said it is not possible to set safe levels for phenylbutazone in food products of animal origin and therefore its use in the food chain should remain prohibited.
