Horsemeat scandal: Beef products sold by Bird's Eye, Taco Bell and Brakes found to contain horse DNA

Ground beef sold in British branches of the US-owned Tex Mex restaurant chain Taco Bell has been found to contain horse DNA in the latest round of tests carried out since the start of the meat scandal.

The tests carried out by the Food Standards Agency also revealed contamination of Birds Eye traditional spaghetti bolognese and beef lasagne and Brakes spicy minced beef skewer.

Taco Bell said that it was “disappointed” to have discovered the horse meat in tests it carried out on beef supplied to its UK restaurants by a sole European supplier.

“We immediately withdrew ground beef from sale in our restaurants, discontinued purchase of that meat, and contacted the Food Standards Agency with this information,” it said in a statement.

Birds Eye had already withdrawn the spaghetti bolognese, lasagne and a third ready meal, a shepherd’s pie, from sale as a precaution.

Brakes, which is based in Ashford, Kent, said it was “very disappointed” to be let down by its suppliers and apologised to customers.