Horsemeat scandal

I have been taken quite by surprise when this scandal came out, not because horsemeat was included but because the public has been deceived and lied to. As a consumer we have the right to be provided with what is on the label and Tesco and other big industries such as Findus have done the total opposite.

The first time we heard about this horsemeat scandal was back in 1948 where horses were killed and sold on the black market mostly to restaurants who want to save a penny or two, fast forward to 2013 and we have the same thing going on but now on a wider spread.  It has become so out of hand that authorities have officially stated that they cannot come up with a definite number or how many products have been contaminated by horsemeat.

First discovered in the budget burgers offered at Tescos and then in Findus lasagne and then cases multiplied, including  school canteens food.  Why shouldn't a person paying for a budget burger get an honest product, in the Premium products there was no traces of horsemeat found… so does this mean that people who cannot afford Premium products have less consumer rights?

This has made me question the meat that I buy. I'm currently living in Austria and my German skills are not very good (ok they are bad, horribly bad) so I always buy meat from Supermarkets where I do not have to ask anyone and won’t have to humiliate myself  trying to explain that I want chicken breast not chicken wings (mental note I have to Google translate Chicken to German). How fresh is it the meat that we are buying from these supermarkets and how long did it take to get there?  

Although as customers we will most probably always be deceived by these big chain supermarkets, one thing is for sure, I shall never buy meat from these supermarkets again and will opt to the original butcher who offer local and fresh meat who knows maybe it might help me improve me my German skills.