Amber Lovell is a Sounds Positive Media Champion and former UK Youth Parliament member for Bournemouth. The Sounds Positive project aims to promote a more positive image of young people in the media in the South West of England.

So…as many of you may be aware, there is a current issue, problem, dare I say scandal with the staple (or stable) of our existence...FOOD.

In recent days, weeks and months it has become quite clear that no one really knows what they’re eating anymore, which I must say, is a very, very sad thing.

Many supermarket chains have been put to shame with their mislabelled products.

“Was there a grammatical error?” I hear you ask, no, there was no grammatical error.

“Was there a spelling error?” I hear you query... Bingo, you nailed it.

It seems as though Tesco, The Co-Op and Iceland have been labelling their own brand products with the word ‘Beef’ when they contain little, or no beef at all, instead, they contain high amounts of horse meat, which is relatively shocking to neigh the least.

This will sound relatively naive or ignorant, but I don’t want to eat horse. Personally, it’s a taboo. The animals with the uncloven hooves have been in close relation with humans for centuries, acting as transport and pets, and personally, we wouldn’t eat our pet cats and our cars now, would we?

No... Well, I hope not… The Food Standards Agency have also advised the public NOT to eat this ‘meat’... I wonder why? Although some say the sweeter horse ‘meat’ is perfectly healthy, with its higher fat content, I believe it is completely wrong for it to be sold to ‘unsuspecting’ customers.

I quote unsuspecting, because I wonder if those whom purchase these ready meals think that they are genuinely purchasing beef, with the ludicrously low price of their meal... I genuinely wonder if the customers even consider what might be in their cheap meal, when a pack of fresh mince is around £4.00 GBP.

I respect the fact that some people are in compromising positions with their money, resulting in them buying cheap produce of such, but do they really expect these meals contain premium saddle of lean beef?

I certainly wouldn’t.

This beefy topic raises two questions :- “Do you really pay for what you get?” and “Do we know what we’re eating?”

Well, it seemingly can be said we pay for what we get. It has been cited that abattoirs were buying ponies and horses for as little as 35 pence which then goes on to make folk’s value range ready meals, whereas if you spend a considerable amount more, you can buy a beef product... Things that make you go ‘hmm...’ Do we know what we’re eating?

The correct answer is a probable “No” - Regardless of how much money you spend on your coffee - Be it ground up mud, or ground up Columbian coffee beans, we just don’t know entirely what we’re putting into our mouths.

Hate me if you will, because haters gonna hate, but the majority of people who really are affected by the horse meat, which thankfully, is not me, are those who are too lazy to source out ingredients to make their own meals from scratch, and yes, they can be done on a budget... [Sainsbury’s offer cooking cards showing you how to feed your family on a specific amount of money] - It’s just down to those who ‘can’t be bothered’ to blitz beef to make burgers.

The Food Standard Agency may as well just cut to the chase and ban all ready meals. They’re bad for the world. Unnecessary packaging, high salt, fat and cholesterol contents, and these meals encourage people to be lazy... *beep beep beep* (3 minutes later) *appetising meal with your favourite horse, harriet.*

I’m sure you’d be amazed to know what other ingredients are approved for human consumption – although most companies strenuously deny that they are used in their products.

Lanolin is a base of chewing gum, and comes from the oils secreted by sheep in their wool.

L-cysteine is used as a dough softener in breads, bagels and cookies. There are synthetic versions, but it is perfectly legal to use l-cysteine derived from human hair or duck feathers.

Castoreum is an FDA approved “natural food additive” that is derived from beaver anal glands. It can be used to enhance vanilla flavours, with chef Jamie Oliver claiming it is commonly found in ice cream. Manufacturers strenuously deny that it is used in any foods for human consumption.

Cellulose is commonly used to keep fat content down and increase fibre levels in food. Cellulose is derived from the cells walls of plants but most commonly comes from wood pulp.

What I’m saying is, you should make your own sweets, cereals and ice cream- I’m not really saying that, I’m just saying that eyes should be opened a little more and people should actually think before they part with their [hopefully] hard earned cash. If you think it’s too good to be true, there’s a high likelihood that it probably is.

Quit horsing around and get into that kitchen and cook for yourself and your health.

Daily wisdom has been inserted by Amber Lovell.