Horse meat in snacks from 3 in 4 friteries in Belgium

In August, GAIA had 123 commonly sold snacks – meatballs, hamburgers, croquettes, frikandels and more – analysed by an accredited laboratory. The snacks were purchased from 25 friteries in Brussels, Wallonia and Flanders.

In 3 in 4 friteries, at least one product contained horse DNA. Overall, 27% of the snacks analysed tested positive. Horse DNA was detected in all three Regions: in 80% of the friteries tested in Brussels, 70% in Wallonia and 80% in Flanders.

Information and ingredient lists published on producers’ and retailers’ websites also confirm the presence of horse meat in many products. Yet those products are not presented as containing horse meat. For non-prepacked foods, the law generally does not require the animal species used to be specified. Consumers can therefore eat horse meat without knowing it.

The sector also faces serious traceability problems. Between December 2020 and June 2021, the AFSCA (federal agency for the safety of the food chain) found that 35 of the 230 horse passports examined had been falsified. That is more than one in seven.

And the problem persists. In September 2026, a new international investigation involving the Federal Judicial Police, the AFSCA and Europol focused on the suspected introduction into the food chain of horses that had previously been excluded from it, including sport horses. Suspected practices include falsifying passports and using double electronic microchips.