Safety and storage stability of horse meat for human consumption

Most horse meat is consumed by humans and/or animals in the region where it is produced. However, horse meat for human consumption is exported in large quantities from the Americas and in lesser quantities from Eastern Europe, to Western Europe and Japan where it is often eaten raw. Horse meat prepared to a good hygienic condition should not be prone to early microbial spoilage, but contamination of the meat with Salmonella and Yersinia enterocolitica may be relatively common, and infection of the meat with Trichinella may occur occasionally. Those organisms from horse meat could cause disease when the raw meat is eaten. Moreover, accumulation of cadmium in horse liver and kidney may render those tissues unsafe for human consumption.