Consumers in Australia may have unknowingly ingested horse meat sold as beef and lamb, metal shavings in bread, or mouse fur in food products, according to secret government files.
These documents were released in May after NSW Greens politician Abigail Boyd used parliamentary powers to compel the NSW Food Authority to provide evidence of serious food safety breaches. While some files were made public, the government claimed privilege over others, preventing their full release. Boyd was permitted to speak about the documents in general terms.
"There were a lot of instances of things being found in food that shouldn't be there. For example, mouse fur," Boyd told ABC's Four Corners. "You could be eating a minced horse when you think you're eating your mince… that's pretty shocking for the average person." She also noted instances of metal shavings in bread products and dairy-free products that were not dairy-free, which were only discovered by chance after consumers became ill.
Boyd also reported that needles were found in food products.
These revelations challenge the public's trust in Australia's food safety standards and enforcement, Boyd stated.
Horse meat found in beef products is not a new issue. In 2013, a significant investigation in the United Kingdom followed the discovery of horse meat in beef lasagna and burgers.
Experts are now calling for an Australian-based food fraud unit, similar to those operating in Europe, the United States, and Canada, to test food products. The Four Corners investigation indicated that horse meat continues to be found in beef products globally.
Beyond consumer safety, Boyd expressed concern over animal welfare, citing "horrifying" examples of animal cruelty documented in the files, particularly concerning illegal abattoirs and the slaughter of animals. "A really concerning number of illegal knackeries and the result of that is that you've seen horses and other animals ending up in what people would assume to be minced beef or minced lamb."
According to the ABC, the released documents also show that hundreds of NSW businesses, including aged care homes, hospitals, and catering companies, received repeated notices for food safety breaches between 2022 and 2026. These breaches included poor hygiene, expired food, and failures to manage dangerous bacteria and control food temperatures, placing vulnerable populations like the elderly and children at risk.
Several of NSW's largest aged care providers were reportedly repeat offenders. Catholic Healthcare, which serves over 3,000 residents across 41 locations, reportedly received three improvement notices at facilities in Hunters Hill, Mullumbimby, and Dubbo between 2023 and 2024. Mercy Health and Aged Care's Albury facility, Mercy Hospital, and three Uniting aged care facilities in Eden, Hamlyn Terrace, and Lane Cove were also issued improvement notices.
Separately, an earlier ABC investigation found that dozens of tomato paste and passata products sold in Australian supermarkets did not match the country of origin stated on their labels. Of 221 processed tomato items from 39 brands, the research indicated that numerous products claiming to be from Australia or Italy were actually from China, with about half sourced from Xinjiang, a region known for its use of forced labor. Coles and Aldi reportedly rejected these test results for their respective brands, Coles Italian tomato paste and Aldi's Remano paste, as well as Leggo's tomato paste.
