Asda recalls corned beef products over presence of phenylbutazone

UK supermarket chain Asda is recalling ‘Smart Price’ corned beef as very low levels of the veterinary drug phenylbutazone have been identified in some batches of the product, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

The product subject to recall is Asda ‘Smart Price’ Corned Beef, 340g tin, belonging to all best before date codes.

Customers who have purchased the product have been advised not to consume it and instead contact the retailer for a full refund.

No other Asda products are known to be affected in the recall.

Asda said that the FSA has reassured the retailer that the bute quantities found in the product pose a low risk to human health.

On 8 March, Asda withdrew the above product after horse DNA was found in the product.

Following further sampling and testing, some of the product samples were found to contain very low levels of phenylbutazone, the equine painkiller which is also known as bute.

As a result, Asda is recalling the tinned corned beef product and will be issuing recall notices in the national press.

Commenting on the latest Asda recall, Liaison Technologies, a US-based integration and data management company, said that large firms such as Asda are responsible for their supply chain and ensuring that their suppliers are delivering the specified goods.

Having a properly integrated and automated supply chain process in place with the control mechanisms that modern B2B data integration providers can deliver could have prevented such an incident from occurring, the company said.

Liaison Technologies IT integration specialists vice president Mikko Soirola said that while the levels of phenylbutazone found in the corned beef are said to be low enough not to cause harm to humans, it hightlights the need for an overhaul of supermarket supply chains.

"The transparency of supply chain processes provides additional means to take corrective measures while the process is still active."

"Alternatively, having a false certification would provide commercial/contractual means for the buying companies to sanction the suppliers, not to mention that falsifying such records is likely a criminal offence."

"In today’s economy, investing the time and money into ensuring a fully integrated supply chain will prevent such high-profile and reputation-destroying incidences from arising," Soirola added.