Why don't we eat horses?

The European horse meat scandal continues to expand: This week, the Switzerland-based company Nestle SA announced that it would pull beef pasta meals off supermarket shelves in Europe after the discovery that they contained horse meat. Most U.K. supermarkets had already been forced to pull what were ostensibly beef products after the discovery that they contained horse meat, and regulators are now trying to trace how the horse meat made its way through a complicated supply chain into various products.

So far, Americans have not been touched directly by the scandal, since the companies involved do not export beef to the United States. But the anger over the discovery has raised the question: Why is eating horse meat considered taboo in some nations yet unremarkable in others?

In the United States, United Kingdom and some other nations, horse meat is largely reviled. Asked to explain why she would not eat horse meat, New York City resident Victoria Milton compared them to pets, saying that "people have horses and they love them and they're part of their family."

In many other nations, however, eating horse meat is no big deal - and in some cultures, it's even considered a delicacy. Mexico, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Indonesia, Poland and China are among the nations where many people eat horse meat without a second thought.

There was a time when Americans did not have quite so much compunction about eating horse: A World War II-era photograph published by the Seattle Times in 2010 shows men holding a sign advertising "U.S. GOVERNMENT INSPECTED HORSE MEAT - NOT RATIONED." Those two words at the end are key: While beef was being rationed by the government at the time, horse meat was not. In the 1940s and 1950s, according to New York University professor of Food Studies Marion Nestle, there was a de facto "black market" for horse meat in which people would go into pet food stores to buy horse meat for their own consumption, viewing it as an inexpensive and tasty alternative to beef.

Anne Bellows, a professor of food studies at Syracuse University, said that food taboos "adjust themselves to circumstances." She argued that when cultures are facing hard times, taboos tend to go out the window. "Sometimes the choices we make are related to how needy we are," she said.

Horse meat was once a primary ingredient in pet food. In the 1920s, according to Nestle, slaughterhouses opened pet food companies to dispose of horse meat. It remained a major ingredient in pet food until at least the 1940s. Today, Nestle said, most pet food companies do not profess to use horse meat, partially for fear it would discourage people from buying the product.

While Americans have largely avoided horse meat except in lean times, U.S. plants were slaughtering horses for food as recently as 2006. More than 100,000 horses were slaughtered for food that year, mostly for export to Europe and Asia. The United States soon after effectively banned slaughtering horses for food by preventing tax dollars from being spent on horse meat inspection. (The ban lapsed in 2011, but no money has been allocated for new inspections.) Against the wishes of animal rights activists, horses are still being shipped to Canada and Mexico for slaughter and, in many cases, human consumption.

One reason that horses have never been used primarily for food, Bellows said, was economic: A young horse had more use as a worker or mode of transportation, and once the horse got too old to work its meat was not particularly desirable. (Glue is another story.) Horses are also not particularly efficient in converting grass and grain into meat, which diminishes their desirability as food.

But the taboo in the United States is also tied to the perception that horses fall into or near the category of pets with distinct personalities. It's a perception that was reinforced in popular culture with television shows like "Mr. Ed" and the novel and film adaptations of "Black Beauty."

"We have this whole western thing where the horses were part of the whole western culture and the frontier," said Nestle. "And this whole romantic cowboy stuff. You don't eat your cowboy pets."

Compared to beef, there are not significant health risks to eating horse meat - indeed, there are those who hail it for being "low fat, full of protein" and delicious. Those who have eaten horse meat describe it as slightly redder, softer and sweeter than beef, though the differences are not glaring. In continental Europe, it is often made into sausages or cooked as a steak. (There are some concerns about the presence of a anti-inflammatory drug called phenylbutazone or "bute" in horse meat, though the risk from consumption is said to be very low.)

Horse meat is far from the only food taboo, of course - Many Islamic and Jewish people do not consume pork, for example, and most Americans would not eat cats and dogs - though humans appear to be the only animal that shies away from eating certain animals out of some sort of moral obligation.

James A. Serpell, director of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society, said "it's very difficult to think of a completely rational" argument for why certain animals are deemed acceptable to eat while others aren't.

"We have this tendency for a kind of morality that we apply to human beings to leach out to other species," he said, "and then the criteria for which it leaches out to is seemingly rather arbitrary."

[WillowSunstar]

There is a reason we don't eat cats or dogs either. They're pets. But in some countries, they do eat dogs. So it is entirely cultural.

[MorganLvr]

Mr. Montopoli ~ What you reported about the equine anti-inflammatory phenylbutazone - or bute as we horse owners call it - was the statement of a government official tying to keep the lid on, and very misleading.

Bute is a dangerous substance:
Food And Toxicology Report: http://www.box.net/shared/lqi4hhkg42
Drugs In Horse Meat: http://habitatforhorses.wordpress.com/2012/07/17/horsemeat-and-drugs/
Bute And The Passport System - Irish Veterinary Journal: http://www.box.net/shared/ln3qh88kz42avo4ys1oa
Why The Issue With Bute: http://www.box.com/s/e1ae613e90cc9ebbef6e

It is strictly BANNED for use in ANY food animal for ANY reason at ANY time during their lives. ONE use, and that animal must NEVER enter the human food chain, no matter how minute the amount. As they found when this drug was licensed to humans use, there is a huge difference in the way various people react to this drug. The effects are extremely idiosyncratic and not necessarily related to the dosage. This is why it's banned - a minimum residue allowance cannot be determined because of this extreme sensitivity of some people. It especially problematic for children. Even a minute amount can cause the usually fatal aplastic anemia in susceptible children.

PLEASE don't spread that misconception that this drug is safe if the dosage is low enough because no one knows what is low enough. This drug is strictly banned for any use in any food animal for any reason at any time during their lives. One use and that animal must never enter the human food chain. There is no withdrawal period for a banned substance. This is the LAW in the US, EU, UK, and every other country that has any semblance of food safety rules.

Thank you!

[stirg]

http://rtfitchauthor.com/2013/02/22/repeating-history-remember-why-horse-slaughter-was-banned/#comment-77002

Economic reasons we closed slaughter houses in america..add to that now the fear we have tainted horsemeat introduced in our meat supply mixed with beef and god know what else

[Donnie_G]

This is only controversial among societies that assign pet names to food. "Horse, the other red meat." Yum!

[stirg]

http://rtfitchauthor.com/2013/02/21/the-humane-society-of-the-united-states-and-humane-society-international-call-for-a-moratorium-on-the-sale-of-horse-meat-from-north-america/

because horses are not raised as livestock for the table..we treat our horses with all kinds of medicines drugs and more, that are not only cancer causing in humans but toxic as well and all of the many drugs used on horses are not even being tested for..cattle donot receive these drugs, and cannot be slaughtered while drugs are in their system..I win this argument by default...because "Yum" will be engraved on your headstone..good luck with that!

[venusvegasvada]

It's part of our history and culture. For most of our countries existence, we relied on our horses everything. But more than necessary beasts of burden, they are very intelligent and they truly are loving friends and great companions.

Just like any close pet you keep and care for. It's impossible to spend over a decade loving the animals and sharing your families life with them just to eat them in the end. The whole thought is utterly revolting to us and it still carries on to this day.

Even though most of us use cars and trucks to move things and ourselves now, it's only been 3 or 4 generations since the horse was king. The impact horses had on us are still felt to this day. That's a good thing I think. To respect the things you love (and that love you back).

[Cowdogpete]

Horse slaughter in the US was banned in 2006. All slaughter facilities in the US shuttered at that time. IT also destroyed the market for aging horses. People were forced to shoot them, or let them starve since there was no secondary market for them. Instead of getting a few bucks, a horse turned into a liability. Feed it 'til it dies, then try to dispose of the carcass. No one in the US ate horse meat prior to 2006, its a cultural thing, instead it was used in pet food, or sold to foreign markets that wanted it.

Congress agreed once again to fund inspections for horse slaughter in 2011 but as of yet, no plants have opened.

So the market for injured or aged horses remains unavailable.

We need to restore the horse slaughter industry, whether anyone in the US eats it or not.

[stirg]

the fact is- you are not going to get a few bucks for your aging horse at an auction..there is the consignment fee, the commisson on the sale, the high cost of fuel to haul them there, eats motel and time loss..horses are going for 10 to 100 dollars-you are gong into the hole ..and from there the horror story just begins for your old horse..take some of your beer money and you will be money ahead to have yur old horse humanely euthanised..be a responsable person to your family kids and animals

[MorganLvr]

Cowdogpete ~ I just cannot believe that you don't know that we're sending just as many horses to slaughter now as we did when the domestic plants were open. Didn't you READ this article before you commented on it? Or do you just go around the Web posting outdated, disproved pro-horse slaughter propaganda?

Human consumption horse slaughter plants will NOT accept injured or old horses. In fact, it's illegal to even transport injured horses to slaughter in the first place.

We haven't used horse meat in pet food for decades. However horse slaughter for NON-human consumption is still perfectly legal and always has been, although there is very little market anymore.

As for needing a market for injured or aging horses, you make me SICK! After a horse as served you for all his good years YOU aren't willing to give him the retirement he deserves or even a decent death. If you can't spend the money to have a veterinarian euthanize your horse and dispose of the body you shouldn't be owning horses. Actually, you probably don't own horses. You probably NEVER owned a horse in your freaking life. Keep your inaccurate, ridiculous pro-slaughter propaganda to yourself.

[macv9959]

You left out so many other animals, ie., Snakes, dogs, rats, and monkeys. In Asian countries, Japan especially you can go to the market place, pick out a dog in a cage, buy it, and the seller will go the back and butcher it for you. They prefer large breed dogs.

There is a rat the size of or bigger than a possium, that lives in the rice patties. This is caught and eatten all the time. (it is very good)

I have eatten monkey, rice patty rats, and dog. Leave the emotions out and you will find the meat to be very good.

OH, I forgot to mention there are people who eat people, we have to draw the line at that.

[foo8259]

"Enhancement" of most meat we buy means we are paying more per pound for what is essentially salt water, and that concerns me more than 'mystery meat'

[fleabag75]

If the day ever comes that we do get visited by beings from a far distant galaxy, God help them. We'll eat them!

[rightontarget]

Or they will wind up eating us.

[berlinfoto-2009]

In parts of Central and South America Iguanas are slow and lackadaisical, they just take their time moving around, even when approached by man.
Other parts of South America the Iguanas are very fast, and skinny, they will run like hell at the sight of a man.
The same is true for Chameleons that grow quite large in the tropical environment.
I am almost certain that I have been served Iguana in a restaurant before.