Burger King apologises for serving horsemeat

Fast food retailer Burger King will stop sourcing products from Ireland-based ABP Food Group's Silvercrest, Tim Smith, technical director of the group, said today in the wake of the 'horsemeat scandal'.

Burger King has had to place advertisements in the UK national press in response to a growing backlash from customers after it admitted some of its burgers were contaminated with horsemeat.

Burger King's ads apologised for the "very small trace levels" of horse DNA found in four samples at its supplier Silvercrest. Burgers taken from restaurants, however, had tested negative.

DNA testing and other enquires are continuing in Poland, where a supplier used by Silvercrest is thought to be the source of the contamination.

Jaroslaw Naze, deputy chief of Poland's veterinary department, said a sixth slaughterhouse was now under investigation after it was identified on the labelling of meat under investigation in Ireland. DNA testing carried out in five other slaughterhouses has so far shown no traces of horse protein.

On Burger King's Facebook page, one angry user wrote, "How does everyone feel about those burgers and the fact that you are also feeding them to your children."

Another commented: "I will NEVER eat in any of your "restaurants" again. FOR SHAME." One user even called for the firm to close all its UK branches immediately.

Silvercrest chain has fallen foul of supermarket chain Tesco as well, after it ignored instructions to use meat only from a list of approved suppliers and only from the UK and Ireland.