Horse meat sales gallop by 200% following supermarket scandal

Hungry customers appear to have developed a taste for horse with sales of the meat rocketing by a staggering 200 per cent – since the supermarket scandal broke.

Exotic food firm Ank Marvin Ltd, which also sells camel burgers, water buffalo steaks and zebra fillets, say the scandal rocking the food industry has boosted sales in horse meat.

The Nottingham-based company has shifted hundreds of its specialty £2.11 horse burgers since the news broke.

Diced horse steak, costing £5.70, and horse haunches costing £4.41, have also been flying off the shelves.

The firm, which sources its meat from France, struggled to shift the equine steaks before it was revealed meat sold in supermarkets as beef was actually horse.

But they say people have flocked to buy horse meat after having their curiosity aroused by the scandal.

Company Director Vicky Brown, 37, said: “The horse meat scandal has opened people’s eyes a little bit, they are ordering more horse meat from us online.

“We thought it would be damaging for business and its been quite the opposite.

“I’ve never had such interest in our horse meat product.

“Its not that much of a bad thing at all and I think people have realised. People have tried it and now they are being more curious.

“We hardly sold any horse before it, but sales have gone up quite a lot now.

“Literally half of our enquiries these past few weeks have been horse meat related.

“I think we’ve become very popular because of the health benefits of the meat, which is a lot leaner than beef.

“People are more open-minded then we give them credit for.

“Sales have gone up by 200 per cent and we believe that is a result of the current horse meat scandal.”

Student Jonny Pynn, 20, from Nottingham, said: “It’s got a more meaty taste to it, and an irony taste. I’d definitely have it again.

“I’ve no problem with eating horse.

“But I do have a problem with suppliers fooling people saying it’s one thing and them getting something else.”