FOOD which is supplied to Lancashire schools and hospitals is 100 per cent beef, according to the organisations that provide the meals.

The Food Standard Agency has ordered food producers, together with councils, hos-pitals and prisons, to ensure the authenticity of all their beef products by making sure their suppliers carry out tests.

It comes after frozen foods firm Findus took beef lasagnes made by French food supplier Comigel off shelves after some were found to have up to 100 per cent horse meat in them.

Last month some burgers were also recalled from Tesco because traces of horse meat were found.

The Foods Standards Agency (FSA) has said there is no evidence to suggest the horse meat detected poses a danger to humans, but confirmed that tests have been ordered on products for the veterinary drug phenylbutazone as animals treated with “bute” are not allowed to enter the food chain.

Roger Eakhurst, Lancashire County Council’s assistant director for catering, said staff would be keeping a close eye on the measures and testing being introduced by the FSA.

Mr Eakhurst said: “We can reassure parents that the majority of beef and beef products served in school lunches are produced and delivered fresh from a local supplier. They have confirmed that they use only prime beef cuts sourced from regularly audited suppliers and that their products contain 100 per cent beef at all times.

A spokesman for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We serve very little processed food to patients and in our two restaurants on the Royal Blackburn Hospital and Burnley General Hospital sites, but we are working with our suppliers to gain the assurance from them that all our meat is 100 per cent beef.”

The FSA has urged organisations to take action if suppliers’ assurances are not satisfactory, including a refusal to serve their products while waiting for authenticity test results.