WEEKLY GROSS-OUT: Product recalls

Product recalls are a necessary evil. But sometimes it's just wasteful fear-mongering, for instance, the current scandal involving horsemeat. Yesterday, Ikea withdrew meatballs from sale in 14 European countries after tests in the Czech Republic found traces of horsemeat in a batch made in Sweden. My opinion: so what? I don't mind horsemeat in my food. Some cultures actually eat horses, and they too don't mind seeing the odd bit of horse in their beef. And there are also people who want something a little different - maybe horsemeat could be right up their alley. So all in all, horsemeat is no big deal. If the meat was off, then maybe a product recall would be in order. But if it's just meat from a second species of animal, then a recall would just be a wasteful thing to engage in.