Is it true that eating horse meat is bad for your health? Or is this statement being erroneously influenced by many media? We reveal the reality to you.
As a result of all the controversy that appeared after the publication of the report on the quality of supermarket hamburgers according to the OCU, in which the existence of traces of horse DNA in hamburgers of certain brands was found, and especially after it was discovered Since some Buittoni (Nestlé) brand products contained horse meat instead of beef, there seems to be a lot of doubt about the supposed health effects of horse meat.
More specifically, it almost seems that a kind of constant doubt has been established in the media about the effects of this meat on health by the mere fact of finding ourselves with allegedly beef products that originally contained this type of meat, installing in the consumer the idea that it is a dangerous or negative meat product.
As we can see, the obvious problem is that we are facing fraud for the consumer, who buys a product thinking that it has been made with beef when in reality it contains a certain percentage of equine meat, not informing about it on the labeling. It has little to do originally with whether horse meat is actually good or beneficial for our health.
Is eating horse meat bad for my health?
We should not confuse the existence of a deception to the consumer who buys products made with beef when in reality it has horse meat, with that this is a bad meat or negative for health.
Nothing could be further from the truth: horse meat, as we already indicated in our note dedicated to the benefits of horse meat, is even one of the nutritionally healthiest meats that exist, thanks above all to its very high protein content of quality, minerals and omega 3 fatty acids.
Its consumption is in fact recommended in the children’s diet, for pregnant women and athletes, as well as for all those who wish to consume it.
Therefore, we can answer in a positive way: horse meat is an extremely healthy meat, and it is recommended within a varied, healthy and balanced diet.
But we cannot forget something fundamental (and it is precisely this question that has caused many people to have doubts about the supposed effects of this meat on health): as with any meat product, the consumer must be assured that the Horse meat has not only passed all the appropriate health and safety controls, but even these equines have been used exclusively for human consumption.
This last part is emphasized, because chemical substances have been discovered in some of the meat products, probably because at first these horses were not originally intended for human consumption.
We can summarize, therefore, that horse meat is a meat even recommended within a balanced and healthy diet, as long as it has passed through the relevant health controls (as happens, in short, with any type of meat product).
But, why does the media suggest that horse meat can be bad for your health?
Probably due to ignorance, especially on the part of those media that seek to gain an audience with this type of controversy, so that a badly given or half-given information the only thing that finally achieves is to leave the consumer in doubt.
Perhaps we are faced with a clear problem of interpretation, and above all of not making things clear: what has happened here is that horse meat has been sold as if it were beef (from products made with it), and the consumer has not been informed as such from a correct labeling; That is to say, no one has gotten sick from eating horse meat because in reality, like any meat and as long as it is not exceeded in its consumption – as it ultimately happens with any other food – it is as much or even healthier than chicken meat.
In this sense, the question of whether these products have passed the relevant safety controls must be effectively addressed, since by misleading the consumer through labeling, they are not also being assured that this meat is safe and that therefore there is no danger when consuming it, since its origin is unknown. In addition, it is logical to assume that if that meat does not appear in the composition of the product in question, who could ensure that it has indeed passed through the required sanitary controls?
The conclusion is more than obvious: if you want to consume horse meat, it is best to buy those products in which packaging ensures that the meat has passed all the necessary controls. Although in short, we are faced with advice that must also be given when buying the rest of meats…
