Tesco has become the butt of social media jokes this week, after it was revealed the supermarket was among several to stock burgers containing horse meat.
The Irish food safety authority FSAI found that Tesco Everyday Value Beef Burgers contained 21.9% horse meat.
Other brands, including products sold in Lidl, Aldi, Iceland and Dunnes Stores, were also found to contain 0.1% to 0.3% of horse DNA.
Nearly £300m has been wiped off the stock market value of Tesco after the news was announced, representing around 1% of its total share price.
The products were made at two plants in Ireland and one in the UK and were sold by a number of retailers including Tesco.
Almost immediately after the news broke Twitter became awash with equine-related jokes, spawning the hashtag #horsemeat which started trending in the top twitter topics.
In one example Tesco failed to get the joke when being mocked on Twitter after its budget burgers were found to contain horse meat.
Referencing the champion thoroughbred racehorse, Chesterfield resident Wayne Whitehead asked the retailer: ‘Is it true you have started to stock RED RUM & is it like your normal rum?’
Amazingly the official Twitter account of Tesco’s UK Customer Care team responded, asking Mr Whitehead the name of the local store he shops in.
In a second tweet, @UKTesco replied promising to ‘look into the issue and get back to him soon’.
The Customer Care account assured consumers on Twitter: “The safety and quality of our food is of the highest importance to Tesco, we apologise sincerely for any distress caused.”
Tesco has withdrawn all potentially affected stock from sale and has confirmed that an investigation is underway.
“We are working with the authorities in Ireland and the UK, and with the supplier concerned, to urgently understand how this has happened and how to ensure it does not happen again,” a spokesman said.
Meanwhile, Tesco’s Facebook page has been hit by angry comments from consumers.
One comment from the Facebook page, from customer Amanda Thourgood-Hayes says: “I’m sad that Tesco my trusty local store is selling horse meat disguised as burgers!”
Meanwhile, another customer Kathy Doyle added: “Never shopping in Tesco again, and stop going on about how it imposes no threat to human health, it’s about false advertising “beef burgers” my a##e, it’s disgraceful people have the right to know what they are eating.”
Below, we’ve rounded-up some choice cuts from the #horsemeat trending topic (purely in the interests of a marketing case study, of course):
@TheMichaelMoran Never having another one of those Tesco burgers. Gave me the trots.
@johnprescott I think I had Tesco Horseburger last night by mistake. Never again. Had terrible night mares
@NickMotown Traces of zebras found in Tesco barcodes.
@Freddie_UK: A woman has been taken to hospital after eating horsemeatburgers. Her condition is said to be stable.
@BobJWilliams: I expect this only relates to those mini-burgers you have as snacks. You know, the horse d’oeuvres.
@JohnMoynes: I get all my horsemeat from an independent dodgy butcher.
@GBretman: So horsemeat has been found in TescoProducts but a spokesman says It’s bollocks
@pinkyperfection: I had a tesco burger and now I’m feeling a little horse
@brucel: Those Aldi horse burgers were nice, but I prefer My Lidl Pony
@PaulLewis: Scientist: “Sir, we’ve discovered horse meat in your burgers.” Tesco boss: “Why the long face?”
@PensionsMonkey: There was an old woman who swallowed a horse, she’d been to Tesco, of course.
@Martin1Williams: Went to the freezer to check my Tesco burgers, and….THEY’RE OFF.
