RANT - The current meat scandal!

I have been writing on here for many weeks now and still have not really had a rant... which is what the blog is named for. So I've made the decision to voice my opinions on the meat scandal that is in the UK headlines at the moment. 

I understand this might offend some people and for that I apologise but I feel like I want to make a note of this topic for reference in later years. (Look at me planning on years worth of writing this blog!! - haha

Without going on too much about the facts - which can be found on most British news sites - it has come to light that Horse meat has been sold in many products within the food market. I have two main issues with this; 

INCORRECT FOOD LABELLING - I am a meat eater, my children eat meat too and I believe animals can be breed for meat and food purposes. However I do think that all food should be labelled with the exact product that it contains. Personally I have tried several of the more 'unusual' meats like Ostrich and Kangaroo- so I would not be adverse to trying Horse. But I do want to know what I am eating and in turn feeding my children. 

THE USE OF DANGEROUS CHEMICALS IN THE FOOD CHAIN - If Horse has been introduced to the general food chain and the meat is not regulated then there is the risk of ingesting chemicals which are dangerous to us. Again because I am feeding children this is a huge worry to me as I imagine it is to many other parents? 

I am not here to try and challenge the government and I am not (totally) anti-government but I do believe that the root of all this scandal lies at their hands. Slowly over the past few years the economy has worsened and normal working families are struggling to provide healthy meals for their kids. Parents are even going without meals to make sure that their kids have enough food. I am sure more mums and dads would love to be able to afford a weekly trip to a proper butcher with controlled meat products but it is simply too expensive to afford the best meat all the time. Therefore cheaper products are bought and it is these inferior ones that are the main issue. 

Thankfully when I do purchase ready made burgers I do only buy the better brands, but what about the families that can only afford the 8 for a £1 variety? I can only imagine their worry, and it doesn't exactly install us with hope when the Big Boss managers of these stores admit they wouldn't even eat their own products. 

The more that comes to light in the news about the economy and how messed up the countries finances are it is becoming more apparent that there is a 'Rich / Poor' divide again and the gap is widening between the two.  The government officials do not seem worried that their children will potentially be affected by the meat scandal but then again I can't see them shopping at cheaper budget supermarkets when they can afford organic and the best products.

I can't see much changing in the short run, but I do hope that it does not come to light about ill effects in people because they have ingested inferior products. Unfortunately it may take something like that for the politicians to sit up and realise not all of us are privileged enough to shop in 'proper' places. And not all of us are educated enough to be able to provide a cheap but balanced and healthy diet for our children. Reporters on day time TV can see it, the general public can see it but our representatives in Westminster seem to be blind to the problem. 

I would be interested in seeing what other 'normal' people think to this current news topic.....