"It is concerning to see your report (Horsemeat discovered in burgers sold by four British supermarkets, 16 January), but this is by no means a new problem. Adulteration of foods, meaning the addition of impure, improper, or inferior ingredients, has been identified in the UK since the 1800s. Bakers would whiten their bread with chalk and sawdust and brewers would add bitter substances to save on the cost of hops. The first Food Adulteration Act was passed in the UK in 1860. However, worrying cases, concerning not only food standards but food safety, have continued to surface. One such case was in 1985, when European wine was found to be adulterated with diethylene glycol, commonly used as a component of "antifreeze".
Food adulteration has been here since the beginning of time and, despite the measures taken to enforce food standards, will keep food authorities busy for many years to come.
Dr Louise Manning
Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/17/eat-horsemeat-not-british-dilemma