Bucks County Council’s trading standards service has started an ‘extensive’ programme of sampling meat and meat products.
Samples are being taken from butchers and other suppliers, including those involved in the supply chain to schools.
David Pickering, the trading standards team leader, said: “Trading standards officers are visiting local premises to obtain samples of beef and beef products to test for the existence of both horse meat and pork contamination.
“We will need to wait for the outcomes of the testing and the results are expected in the coming weeks.”
The council stressed that whilst the Food Standards Agency is coordinating a sampling programme of national producers and retailers, it is important that people can have confidence in the local supply network.
Trading standards officers will be working with the district environmental health services.
The environment secretary is due to meet food retailers and trade bodies today to establish what is being done to restore consumer confidence in the wake of the scandal. Downing Street said it is ‘the responsibility of the retailers and the meat industry’ to rebuild trust.
