Accusations, denials and threats to sue reverberated round Europe on Friday as meat traders, food processors, retailers and governments all rejected blame for horsemeat found in even more beef dishes across the continent.

In France, wholesalers and officials traded grievances, while more products were removed from sale in Britain, Germany, Austria and Norway. Police raided factories in several countries and Dutch prosecutors accused one meat supplier there of fraud.

No one is reported to have fallen ill from eating horsemeat in the month since it was first identified in Irish beefburgers, but evidence of widespread mis-labelling have damaged Europeans’ confidence in the food on their plate.

A French meat company with a famous name accused by the government in Paris of knowingly passing off horsemeat as beef hit back angrily yesterday, accusing ministers of jumping to a hasty conclusion, as its workers feared for their livelihoods.

The Romanian government and abattoirs that routinely slaughter horses have said their exports were properly labelled.

Dutch prosecutors launched a criminal investigation into an as yet unnamed company believed to have been falsely labelling beef mixed with horsemeat after searching a plant in the south.

Also in Britain, leading chain Tesco, one of the earliest casualties of horse-tainted beefburgers, highlighted a different approach to defending its reputation, telling customers they would be able to track the implementation of systems it is putting in place to ensure the origins of its food are clear.

British supermarket bosses signed an open letter to consumers telling them they “share their anger and outrage”. The British government and the European Union have called for a high-level meeting to investigate the scandal, and it will be on the agenda of a February 25 EU farm ministers’ meeting.