An expert would know the difference between horsemeat and beef and would be unlikely to mislabel it by accident.
‘‘If the buyer is suspicious they have to check it at the source,’’ he said.
Michel Barnier, a former French agricultural minister who now works at the European Union level, said it was not an issue of food safety but of justice.
‘‘Consumers have the right to the truth, quality, and transparence. We have to do more in tracking,’’ he told Europe 1 radio.
Food company Findus Sweden plans to sue France’s Comigel for breach of contract and fraud, Findus Nordic CEO Jari Latvanen said.
He said the company’s deal with Comigel stipulates that the beef in the frozen lasagna should come from Germany, France or Austria, but that has not been the case.
______
Associated Press writers Lori Hinnant in Paris, Mike Corder in the Hague, Netherlands and Karl Ritter in Stockholm contributed to this report.
