Do You Really Know What You’ve Been Eating?

Have you read about the horsemeat scandal in the UK? It seems that many products being sold as containing beef, have actually contained horsemeat. More and more products are being discovered across many brands as well as the supermarkets own brands. Most of the products are processed ready meals, with things like lasagne and spaghetti bolognese having been added to the scandal so far. Initially it was claimed “some” of the meat was horsemeat, but now it appears in some cases 100% of the meat has been found to be horsemeat.

One of the French food companies involved in the scandal, bought the frozen meat from a Cypriot food trader, who had bought it from a Dutch food trader, who had purchased the meat from two slaughterhouses in Romania. The French company then sold the horsemeat to a factory in Luxembourg, which was then sold under the Swedish brand Findus. This meat appears to be making it’s way into countless brands and products – with Findus just being the tip of the iceberg.

There is also concern that the horses may have been given the horse drug bute (phenylbutazone), which depending on the source you read, could be very harmful to humans if it gets into the food chain.

What ARE You Eating?

Most of the outrage so far seems to be at the fact that people have been eating horsemeat. Which yes, is outrageous and completely unacceptable (can you imagine if a similar scandal happened with pork?) But isn’t the biggest issue here that no one knows exactly what is in these processed food products? If they didn’t even know (and tell the consumers) that a frozen lasagne contains 100% horsemeat and 0% beef, how can we have any confidence about the other ingredients in the meal?

Even if the “beef” label is right on a product, with so much trading and smoke and mirrors masking the origin of the meat, I think we can be fairly confident a frozen ready meal is never going to contain grass-fed organic meat. In fact, I wonder how many different animals have contributed to the meat found in one ready meal? I guess it could be hundreds.

And what about the other ingredients? Is the tomato base of the spaghetti bolognese mainly tomatoes?  Or is it bulked out with cheaper chemicals? Are the tomatoes that are used organic, or rather grown in glass houses with chemicals to help them grow as quickly as possible. Can we even be certain the tomatoes aren’t genetically modified?

How Can You Get Confidence About Your Food?

The only way to be certain about what you’re eating is to make it yourself. However busy you are, I don’t think there is ever a good reason to by ready made instant meals. It’s just not worth it. It’s also very important that as well as making your own food, you’re careful about the ingredients you use, particularly meat. It really is worth buying organic, grass-fed, pasture raised meat, from as close to the farm as you can get it (perhaps you can order from the farm directly, or use a local butcher who does). Always ask your butcher where the meat is from and how it was raised – and if he doesn’t know, it’s probably time to find a new butcher.

For most people reading this, ready meals aren’t likely to be an issue. But eating out probably is. It always bothers me that when you eat at a restaurant, or in a food court, the same issues apply. Where do they get their ingredients from? If they don’t make a big thing about their meat being grass-fed and organic, well, it probably isn’t. In the long term, the best thing is to ask in the restaurant. Hopefully this way the message will get through that people care, and want to eat good quality ingredients. There are some good restaurants who pride themselves on their local, seasonal organic produce – you just have to find them.

Isn’t it ironic that the sale of raw dairy, from a small farm with well raised animals, is illegal in many places; yet it seems to be common practice to sell food products without even being able to trace what the contents is, or where it comes from?

What are your thoughts on the food industry and the ingredients they use? And what about the horsemeat scandal? I’d love to hear where you stand, so please share your comments below.

The Bigger Picture Behind Processed Food Scandals

The horsemeat scandal shocked many not because of health implications alone, but because it exposed how little people actually know about what's in their food. It wasn’t just about horse versus beef—it was about supply chains, transparency, and how detached consumers have become from food sourcing. The issue made headlines, but it's far from an isolated incident. The truth is, the moment food becomes processed, especially on a mass scale, its integrity becomes murky.

It's Not Just About Meat

While the headlines focused on meat mislabelling, the reality is that many ingredients in ready meals and processed foods are just as questionable. Vegetable oils, preservatives, thickeners, colourants, artificial flavours, and sweeteners are common. Some are derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs), others from chemical processes no consumer would be comfortable witnessing in person. And most of them don’t need to be clearly disclosed or sourced transparently.

There’s an assumption that if something is on a supermarket shelf, it must have passed some sort of rigorous inspection. But these systems often rely on paperwork and supplier assurance—exactly the links that broke down during the horsemeat scandal. If no one along the chain is verifying the actual contents, the door is wide open for mislabelling, substitution, and fraud.

Food Fraud Isn’t New

It might be shocking, but food fraud has existed for centuries. Olive oil is often cut with cheaper oils. Honey can be bulked out with corn syrup. Ground spices may contain powdered husks or dyes. Even coffee and tea have been subject to counterfeiting. Meat mislabelling just hits harder because of the emotional and cultural significance attached to it. But it’s all part of the same pattern: prioritising profit over transparency and nutrition.

Is Organic Always Safer?

In theory, organic labels should offer a layer of protection—but even then, it depends on trust in the certification body and the systems in place to prevent fraud. There have been documented cases where products were falsely marketed as organic or imported from countries with weaker enforcement. That’s why knowing your farmer, butcher, or supplier directly is a powerful way to take back control. A label only tells part of the story.

What “Beef” Can Legally Contain

In some processed products, “beef” doesn’t even mean 100% muscle meat. It can legally include connective tissue, fat trimmings, or mechanically separated scraps. These parts are emulsified, reshaped, and often flavoured artificially to mimic whole cuts. Throw in some fillers, stabilisers, and a thickener or two, and you’ve got a product that vaguely resembles meat—at a fraction of the price. And still, it ends up on dinner plates.

The Convenience Trap

Convenience is a powerful motivator. Time-poor, stressed consumers reach for ready meals because they’re quick, easy, and available. But this trade-off comes with a cost: nutrition quality, food transparency, and sometimes safety. Processed meals are rarely made with the same care, ingredients, or standards you’d apply in your own kitchen. And most people wouldn’t dream of eating the ingredients list if it were served separately on a plate.

Why the Paleo Approach Bypasses All of This

By choosing to cook from scratch and stick to whole foods—meat, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and natural fats—you automatically bypass much of the industrial food web. You know exactly what’s going into your meal, because you’re holding the raw ingredients in your hands. No hidden thickeners, no question marks about where your meat came from, and no cheap fillers pretending to be food.

This is the core strength of the Paleo approach. It's not just about cutting out grains and dairy. It’s about reconnecting with your food, understanding its origins, and treating meals as nourishment rather than mystery.

Dining Out Without Compromise

Restaurants, cafés, and takeaway shops face similar transparency issues. If they’re not openly talking about ingredient sourcing, there’s a good chance corners are being cut. Even when menus list meat as “beef” or “chicken,” there’s no guarantee of its origin or quality unless the venue makes it a point to source ethically or locally. And don’t be fooled by menus with rustic fonts and trendy buzzwords—it doesn’t always reflect what’s on the plate.

The solution? Ask. Question. Be that customer. And if the answer is vague or evasive, consider whether it’s a place you want to support. It’s not just about your health—it’s about creating demand for real transparency in food culture.

What You Can Do Differently

• Shop at local markets and talk to stallholders about where their produce comes from.
• Buy meat from trusted butchers who can tell you the breed, location, and diet of the animal.
• Read the ingredient list—even on supposedly healthy products. If there are more than five ingredients and some you can’t pronounce, it’s a red flag.
• Make your own sauces, broths, marinades, and dressings from scratch. These often hide the most additives.
• Batch cook and freeze your own meals, so you’re not tempted by convenience when you’re tired or rushed.

It’s Not Just About What You Eat, But What You Avoid

The Paleo lifestyle isn’t just about including nutritious foods—it’s also about removing harmful, artificial, and unnecessary ones. When you eat clean, real food, you reduce your exposure to pesticide residues, food additives, artificial flavourings, and industrial trans fats. You stop outsourcing your health to a faceless supply chain. And you become the gatekeeper of your own well-being.

Most people don’t realise how much better they can feel until they start removing the mystery ingredients and ultra-processed foods from their diet. Less bloating, fewer cravings, more stable energy—it’s all connected.

What This Means Going Forward

Scandals like the horsemeat debacle are a wake-up call. Not just for governments and food regulators, but for every one of us who relies on packaged or prepared food. They remind us that blind trust is not a strategy, and that labels don’t always tell the full story. Cooking at home, asking questions, and voting with your dollar are some of the most powerful tools you have to protect your health and support a better food system.

The more we question, the more transparency becomes the norm—and the harder it becomes for these scandals to occur in the first place.