Tesco releases newspaper adverts apologising for 'unacceptable' horsemeat found in frozen beefburgers
Tesco has taken out newspaper adverts across the UK this morning to apologise for the horsemeat found in its Everyday Value frozen beefburgers.
The advert, which begins with ‘We apologise’ at the centre, top of the page, continues by explaining the company finds the situation ‘absolutely unacceptable’ and says that it has withdrawn the sale of the products immediately from its stores and online.
The apology also tells consumers that they can return the products if they have already been purchased without a receipt and blames the suppliers for the error.
The advert also promises that the company will find out how the horsemeat was mixed with the burgers and to inform customers when they find the answer.
“We will work harder than ever with all our suppliers to make sure this never happens again,” it concludes.
Alongside Tesco, Sainsbury's, ASDA, The Co-operative Food, Aldi, Lidl and Iceland have also withdrawn their hamburger ranges as a precaution.
See the full apology below:
We apologise.
You have probably read or heard that we have had a serious problem with three frozen beef burger products that we sell in stores in the UK and Ireland.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has told us that a number of products they have recently tested from one of our suppliers contained horsemeat.
While the FSAI has said that the products pose no risk to public health, we appreciate that, like us, our customers will find this absolutely unacceptable.
The products in our stores were Tesco Everyday Value 8 x Frozen Beef Burgers (397g), Tesco 4 x Frozen Beef Quarter Pounders (454g) and a branded product, Flamehouse Frozen Chargrilled Quarter Pounders.
We have immediately withdrawn from sale all products from the supplier in question, from all our stores and online.
If you have any of these products at home, you can take them back to any of our stores at any time and get a full refund. You will not need a receipt and you can just bring back the packaging.
We and our supplier have let you down and we apologise.
If you have any concerns, you can find out how to contact us at the bottom of this page, or go to any of our customer service desks in-store, or ask to speak to your local Store Manager.
So here’s our promise. We will find out exactly what happened and, when we do, we’ll come back and tell you.
And we will work harder than ever with all our suppliers to make sure this never happens again.