Row over horse meat claims shakes shoppers as expert warns Aussies 'can't trust the labels'

Published: 06:42, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 06:53, 5 August 2026 A leading financial crime expert has warned Australians have lost trust in the food industry amid claims that horse meat may have been sold as beef and lamb mince. NSW Greens MLC Abigail Boyd used parliamentary powers to obtain a trove of hundreds of documents from the NSW Food Authority. 'There were a lot of instances of things being found in food that shouldn't be there,' she told the ABC's Four Corners documentary. 'For example, mouse fur... You could be eating a minced horse when you think you're eating your mince… that's pretty shocking for the average person. 'There were metal shavings found in bread products… products that were supposed to be dairy-free, that were not dairy-free, were only caught by accident.'  Ms Boyd's specific claims about human consumption of horse meat have been slammed as false by the NSW Food Authority, which has demanded the ABC issue a retraction. But the claims have raised questions about what Australians are eating, according to Dr Milind Tiwari, a financial crime researcher at Charles Sturt University.  'Having this kind of incident happen does hamper the trust of consumers. People aren't confident in what they are buying. You can't trust the labels,' he told the Daily Mail. An ABC investigation raised concerns that horse meat may have been sold as beef and lamb mince (file image) Dr Milind Tiwari said food supply chains can be vulnerable to fraud and contamination risks  'If horse is cheaper than beef, then there is a financial incentive to deceive consumers.' The ABC's report is not the first time horse meat has been reported in beef products for human consumption.  In 2013, a major investigation was launched in the UK after horse meat was found in beef lasagna and burgers. However, unlike the UK case, where Dr Tiwari believes there was evidence of food fraud, he said the claims raised by Ms Boyd remain disputed.  'When we look at the 2013 horse meat scandal, the evidence indicated deliberate substitution for financial gain. This type of substitution can be difficult for consumers and businesses to detect without appropriate authenticity testing,' Dr Tiwari said. In reference to Boyd's claims about mouse fur or metal shavings, Dr Tiwari said they could have been a result of contamination or failures during production, transportation or storage. 'Australia does have a good food safety system, but we have to understand the supply chains are quite complex. There are a lot of parties involved,' he said. 'And the more parties that are involved, the higher chance there is of fraudulent activities taking place because there are more opportunities. There is high financial reward, and low chances of getting caught.' NSW Greens MLC Abigail Boyd obtained internal NSW Food Authority documents using parliamentary powers  The NSW Government rejected claims horse meat was found in food for human consumption  Dr Tiwari said methods can be as simple as mislabelling a product, claiming a product is organic when it is not, or even adding sugar syrup to a product meant to be honey.  'Many products and ingredients are sourced through international supply chains involving multiple jurisdictions and intermediaries,' he said. 'This can make traceability more difficult and complicate efforts to identify where contamination or wrongdoing occurred.'  But Dr Tiwari highlighted this does not mean Australian businesses are deliberately engaging in food fraud.  'It would be wrong to say businesses in Australia are doing it intentionally because, at times, they are relying on documentation that's provided from third parties who are importing these products,' he said. Dr Tiwari said Australia should consider establishing a nationally coordinated food fraud capability to bring together intelligence, regulatory expertise and investigative resources.  These units already operate in Europe, the United States and Canada. 'We do have food safety and regulatory agencies, but responsibilities and information can be fragmented across jurisdictions and organisations,' he said. UK authorities launched an investigation in 2013 after horse meat was discovered in beef products (file image) 'Greater national coordination and intelligence sharing would strengthen Australia's response to food fraud. 'If they could identify an overseas party who is engaging in wrongdoing, they could sanction them and then it'd be important for Australian businesses not to purchase their ingredients from them.' 'But a lot would need to be done to restore the confidence of everyday Australians.' Last week, the NSW government issued a scathing response to ABC's horse meat claims and demanded the broadcaster issue a retraction.  'The NSW Food Authority has not found horse meat in beef, lamb or any food for human consumption,' the statement read. 'This claim is misleading and not correct. There is no evidence to suggest (this).' A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) also confirmed the agency conducts random surveillance testing on meat products for species identification.