<p><img class=" size-full wp-image-253" src="http://halalnews.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/photo-le_surgel_pse_lourd_-974.jpg" width="445" height="230" alt="photo-le surgel pse lourd -974" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3 style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 18px; font-size: 1.5714em; line-height: 1.4545em; color: #333333;">Horsemeat found in Southampton school meals</h3> <p class="articleInfo clearfix" style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; font-size: 0.7857em; color: #666666; border-top-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-style: dotted none; border-top-color: #cccccc; border-bottom-color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">9:18am Saturday 2nd March 2013 in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/" style="color: #3f86ae;">News</a><a href="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/biog/36661" style="color: #3f86ae;"><img src="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/resources/images/1525248.jpg" title="" alt="Photograph of the Author" width="100" height="100" border="0" style="border: 1px solid #666666; vertical-align: top; max-width: 100%; height: 50px; margin-right: 4px; width: 50px; float: left;" />Exclusive By Patrick Knox</a>, Senior Reporter</p> <div class="articleGallery clearfix" style="border: 1px solid #dddddd; background-color: #f5f5f5; margin-bottom: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> <p class="articlePhoto" style="margin: 0px; line-height: inherit; position: relative;"><img src="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/resources/images/2353248.jpg?type=articleLandscape" title="" alt="Oasis Academy, Lordshill" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; max-width: 100%; height: auto; max-height: 450px; display: block; margin: 0px auto;" />Oasis Academy, Lordshill</p> <ul class="clearfix" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; border-width: 2px 1px 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: #f5f5f5; background-color: #dddddd;"> <li class="current" style="float: left; margin: 0px 1px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/resources/images/2353248/" style="color: #3f86ae;"><img src="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/resources/images/2353248.jpg?type=article" title="" alt="Oasis Academy, Lordshill" width="64" height="64" border="0" style="border: 1px solid #dddddd; vertical-align: middle; max-width: 100%; height: auto;" /></a></li> <li style="float: left; margin: 0px 1px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/resources/images/2353249/" style="color: #3f86ae;"><img src="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/resources/images/2353249.jpg?type=article" title="" alt="Principal ian Golding" width="64" height="64" border="0" style="border: 1px solid #dddddd; vertical-align: middle; max-width: 100%; height: auto;" /></a></li> </ul> </div> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">SCHOOL pupils in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/search/?search=Southampton&amp;topic_id=7090" target="_self" style="color: #3f86ae;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Southampton</a>&nbsp;have eaten horsemeat in their school dinners, the&nbsp;<em>Daily Echo</em>&nbsp;can reveal today.</p> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A supplier has removed all frozen and processed beef products from menus at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/search/?search=Oasis+Academy&amp;topic_id=982" target="_self" style="color: #3f86ae;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Oasis Academy</a>&nbsp;Lord’s Hill and Oasis Academy Mayfield after unacceptably high levels of horse DNA were found.</p> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The bags of mince were thought to have been used to make meat dishes served to children between October and last month.</p> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Food firm Sodexo last night admitted that its tests had revealed batches of mince it supplied to the two secondary schools had been contaminated.The academies’ principal, Ian Golding, and vice principal, Simon Firth, have writtento parents informing them of the development.</p> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A joint statement from both academies said: “We can confirm that with immediate effect all frozen and processed beef products have been withdrawn from the academies as a precaution.</p> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">We have communicated this to all parents and carers and are assuring that their best interest is at the heart of all we do.</p> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">“We will also continue to keep them informed of any further developments.</p> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">“Oasis Community Learning has a national contract with Sodexo for the provision of meals in our academies.</p> <div class="articleInsert clearfix" style="float: right; clear: right; width: 140px; margin-left: 10px; overflow: hidden; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> <div class="clearfix" style="margin-bottom: 18px; background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #444444; font-size: 0.8571em; line-height: 1.5em; overflow: hidden;">&nbsp;</div> </div> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">“Sodexo has implemented measures to monitor its suppliers in the light of the horsemeat issues. In addition they implemented their own independent sampling programme to test for equine DNA in products supplied to them.”</p> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Sodexo refused to name its supplier while its own investigation was under way.</p> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A spokesman said: “Despite repeated guarantees from our suppliers our sampling has identified frozen beef products which tested positive for equine DNA and we can confirm that affected frozen mince was used by two academies in Southampton.</p> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">“However, the amount of mince used in both schools was very small and would have accounted for less than one main dish-worth on one day in a three to four-month period.</p> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">“To reassure its customers Sodexo has withdrawn all its frozen beef products and will only re-admit into our catering operations products that have affirmatively passed DNA testing.</p> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">“We have notified the Food Standards Agency of our findings and will assist fully in its investigation.”</p> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">No contaminated meat has been discovered so far in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/search/?search=Hampshire+County+Council&amp;topic_id=6987" target="_self" style="color: #3f86ae;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hampshire County Council</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/search/?search=Southampton+City+Council&amp;topic_id=1493" target="_self" style="color: #3f86ae;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Southampton City Council</a>&nbsp;schools.</p> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 18px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Source Daily Echo</p>