Food Safety Scandals That Rocked The World

Food Safety Scandals That Rocked The World
KREFELD, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 14: A laboratory technician at the Rhein-Ruhr-Wupper Chemical and Veterinarian Analysis Agency (Chemisches-und Veterinaeruntersuchungsamt Rhein-Ruhr-Wupper) extracts a sample from a package of ready-made lasagne to check the contents for possible horsemeat on February 14, 2013 in Krefeld, Germany. Following the discovery of horsemeat in lasagne and other products labeled to only have beef content in supermarkets in Great Britain, authorities in countries across Europe are testing for possible mislabeling of products in their own countries. In Germany investigators have confirmed at least one case in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia. (Photo by Juergen Schwarz/Getty Images)
KREFELD, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 14: A laboratory technician at the Rhein-Ruhr-Wupper Chemical and Veterinarian Analysis Agency (Chemisches-und Veterinaeruntersuchungsamt Rhein-Ruhr-Wupper) extracts a sample from a package of ready-made lasagne to check the contents for possible horsemeat on February 14, 2013 in Krefeld, Germany. Following the discovery of horsemeat in lasagne and other products labeled to only have beef content in supermarkets in Great Britain, authorities in countries across Europe are testing for possible mislabeling of products in their own countries. In Germany investigators have confirmed at least one case in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia. (Photo by Juergen Schwarz/Getty Images)

The current horsemeat scandal in Europe has gone from news that traces of horsemeat were found in burgers in Ireland to a recall of 10 million burgers in the U.K. Since the recall, more "beef" products were discovered to contain horsemeat, some made with nearly 100 percent horsemeat. As a result, plants have been shut down and tensions among various European countries involved in the scandal are high.

The horsemeat scandal is an issue of food safety, not because people are getting sick but rather because people are expecting one product and getting another. It is an issue of food quality as well, and a powerful example that the global food chain is a complicated and messy affair.

While food safety is a topic that often makes headlines -- there are constant food recalls happening in the U.S. on a weekly basis -- seldom does a food safety issue become a global topic. In addition to horsemeat, here are five other recent food safety scandals that have rocked the world:

Horsemeat in Beef Products: Europe

Food Scandals That Have Rocked The World

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