The recent discovery of horse meat mixed with beef found last month in Ireland and then in Britain shortly after has expanded steadily across Europe. The alarming realization of horse meat in the famous Ikea Swedish meatballs (150 million consumed each year worldwide) in the Czech Republic is what pushed Ikea to withdraw this item from its cafeterias across most of the company’s European stores.

Along with packages of beef, various items possibly containing tainted meat, as in frozen lasagna, are being pulled off of shelves abroad.

It may seem odd to us, but horse meat in some cultures is no big deal and is even considered a delicacy in Mexico, Switzerland, Japan, Germany, Poland, China, and France. Horse meat is relatively inexpensive compared to beef, which makes it readily available in some countries. Although in the US we do not sell horse meat, we often export it  to other countries. Even live horses to be slaughtered are exported to Canada and Mexico.

Horse meat is not in high demand by many at the moment, but many chefs are interested in trying their hands with horse meat. While some Americans may opt for the consumption of horse meat, many others are on the opposite spectrum, claiming they think of horses as pets, and it would be wrong to eat them.

We never know. Horse meat may make its debut in the US sometime in the near future.

Written by Avanti Patel’15