Horse meat scandal: Now Tesco and other supermarkets admit to pork traces in beef burgers At the same time the FSAI found that 23 out of the 27 burgers produced by the Silvercrest facility tested positive for pig DNA. Furthermore 21 out of 31 other beef products, such as cottage pie, beef curry and lasagne also contained pig DNA. Following the FSAI's findings Tesco carried out its own investigation and also found traces of both pork and horse DNA present in its burgers. A spokesman for Tesco said: "We found traces of horse DNA, though not in the amounts found by the FSAI. We also found traces of pork DNA. This reflects the industry wide problem of cross contamination at plants that make both beef and pork products. We don't contest the FSAI's earlier results, but we want to emphasise, however, that we are talking about very, very small amounts of pork DNA. Aldi, the supermarket chain, also carried out its own tests, which concluded that two samples of its own range of burgers, produced by Silvercrest, were found to contain 0.1 per cent pork and 0.1 per cent horse DNA. Both ranges have now been withdrawn from sale. An Aldi spokesman said: "We are deeply angry and feel let down by our supplier and we are pursuing more tests until we are certain that we understand how the production line was contaminated." Although the Co-op was not implicated in the original scandal, it also carried out its own tests and found that six out of 17 samples from two of its frozen burger ranges contained small traces of pork DNA and four out of the 17 contained a similar amount of horse DNA. A Co-op spokesman said it had immediately scrapped its contract with Silvercrest. Asda also admitted it had found traces of pork DNA - along with similar amounts of horse DNA - in four of the burgers from Silvercrest it had already taken off its shelves. A spokesman for Asda said: "We were as shocked as anyone to discover this, and even though the amounts are likely to be tiny, we accept that may be of little comfort to some of our customers." Much of the furore surrounding the issue of the contaminated Silvercrest meat - which originated from a supplier in Poland - has concentrated on the presence of horse DNA in products such as beef burgers. But the question of pork contamination raises equally disturbing issues for consumers, particularly those who refuse to eat the meat for reasons of faith. Jon Benjamin, chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said observant Jews would normally avoid the risk of such contamination by eating only certain types of meat killed in accordance with the rules of Kosher food production. However, he added: "Those that might be less observant and might eat beef that is not strictly Kosher would still avoid pork and horsemeat, and we hope that mistakes in meat processing are not repeated." Dr Shuja Shafi, the deputy secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said the discovery of pork DNA in beef products was of as much concern as the presence of horse DNA. Under Islamic law, Muslims are strictly forbidden to eat pork. He said: "The misdescription of food products is a matter of great concern for us. Companies providing meat or any such food products, as well as food retailers, need to make sure proper assurance schemes are set in place so consumers feel comfortable in knowing what they are buying. Last week Tim Smith, Tesco's technical director, told the Commons" Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee, that the company was in discussion with religious leaders and consumer groups over the issue of cross contamination and the accurate labelling of meat products. Professor Alan Reilly, chief executive of the FSAI, said that, unlike the presence of horse DNA, there was a plausible explanation for the presence of pig DNA as both beef and pork was processed at the Silvercrest plant. He added, however: "For some religious groups or people who abstain from eating pig meat, the presence of pig DNA is unacceptable." Silvercrest, one of the biggest burger plants in Europe - employing 140 people and normally producing 200 million burgers a year - is now closed for 'deep cleaning. A new management team is to be appointed by its parent company. The Food Standards Agency said: "People have a right to expect that the food they are eating is correctly described. We have called an urgent meeting of major retailers and suppliers on Monday to ensure that everyone is fully aware of their responsibilities. It emerged on Saturday that the Ministry of Justice is to suspend a firm supplying meat pies and pasties certified as Halal for Muslim prisoners, after tests found traces of pork DNA in them. Justice minister Jeremy Wright said the incident was "absolutely unacceptable."