Italy finds first case of horsemeat in lasagne

Italy on Saturday said it had found its first case of horsemeat contamination in a batch of frozen lasagne produced in the region around the city of Bologna where the famous Italian dish originated. The health ministry said horse DNA was found in tests on six tonnes of mincemeat and 2,400 packages labelled as "lasagne bolognese" -- literally "from Bologna" -- that were seized from the company. "There was a positive test for horsemeat, which was not declared on the label," the ministry said. The package in which the horsemeat was found had been on a supermarket shelf in Brescia in northern Italy. The ministry identified the company as "Primia" and said it had used meat from another company in Brescia and originally supplied by two other companies, also based there. More checks are under way at the original suppliers. The tests were carried out as part of sweeping checks by police on 121 brands across the country. Officials earlier said they had found no horsemeat in batches seized from Swiss food giant Nestle. The head of the company where the horsemeat was found told the Italian news agency ANSA he had bought it believing it was beef. "We gave all the documents to the police," the executive, who was not named, was quoted as saying. "On Tuesday there will be more checks. If they confirm that it is horsemeat, we will complain to our suppliers," he said.