[attach id=246969 size="medium"]A tin of Asda Smart Price corned beef. Photo: AP[/attach]

A small number of UK businesses may have received products from a Dutch company that supplied some 50,000 tonnes of meat that could have contained horsemeat, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said.

Dutch authorities announced yesterday that the meat is being recalled where possible.

The FSA said there was no reason to suggest there was a food safety issue at this stage.

It said: “The FSA has been advised of the withdrawal issued by the Dutch authorities today in relation to beef products that may potentially contain horsemeat.

“Information from the Dutch authorities confirms that there is no reason to suggest this is a food safety issue at this stage.

“The FSA has been informed by the Dutch authorities that a small number of UK businesses may potentially have received products from the company implicated in their investigation. The FSA is following up with these businesses as a matter of urgency to determine if they have received products from the Dutch company.”

It said the figure of 50,000 tonnes referred to the total amount of product distributed by the Dutch company since January 2011 and across 16 countries in Europe.

The Dutch authorities had confirmed that this information had come to light as part of their ongoing investigations into the horsemeat incident.