Horsemeat scandal spreads as French retailers pull foods

"There are clearly people involved making a profit... there need to be tough sanctions." he told France's BFMTV television.

Findus has said it will file a legal complaint in France after evidence showed the presence of horsemeat in its supply chain "was not accidental". Its Nordic branch said yesterday it planned to sue Comigel and its suppliers.

"This is a breach of contract and fraud," said the head of Findus Nordic, Jari Latvanen. "Such behaviour on the part of a supplier is unacceptable."

Comigel head Erick Lehagre told AFP the company had been fooled by its suppliers and vowed to seek compensation. "We were victims and it's now clear that the problem was not with Findus nor with Comigel," he said. "This represents a very heavy loss for us and we will seek compensation."

In Britain, tests have found that some frozen ready meals produced in mainland Europe and labelled as processed beef actually contained up to 100 percent horsemeat.But Food Minister Owen Paterson dismissed calls for a ban on EU meat imports, describing the idea as a "panic measure".

ALSO READ

Cricketer-turned-politician, Imran Khan wins two, loses one seat

Ex Pak PMs Gilani and Ashraf face rout in polls, PPP suffers huge setback

Nawaz Sharif set for third term as Pak PM, Imran Khan's party emerges 2nd

Car bombs kill 43 in Turkey near Syrian border