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Major national distributor 3663, which supplies both branded and own label products to the catering and hospitality industry, has told every supplier it deals with that products supplied should only include their ‘declared ingredients’.

A spokesman said: “We invest heavily in quality assurance to do the utmost to protect the integrity of its product range.

He added that 3663 had already conducted extensive checks across its range and suppliers and could offer the catering and hospitality industry the following assurances:

· The company does not  have any direct links with the sources mentioned in the media for the presence of horsemeat in the food chain.

· To date all of the tests 3663 has carried out for the presence of horsemeat have proved to be negative.

· It is already a core requirement for all suppliers of 3663 to provide assurance that the products they are supplying do not contain any undeclared meats and are in line with the ingredients declaration supplied with the products.

In addition, following meetings between industry representatives, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Department for Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra), 3663 is taking a number of further steps.

Tests already carried out for the presence of horsemeat are being submitted to the FSA this week; all 3663 own-brand products that contain chopped and/or minced (comminuted) beef as an ingredient have already been sent for testing in line with FSA recommendations; and 3663 is re-contacting all suppliers of products that contain comminuted beef to ensure that they test these products in line with the new FSA requirements.

“We will, of course, review the need to test further products following the results of this first phase of testing and any changing requirements from the FSA,” he said.