An episode of Top Chef Canada featuring contestants cooking horsemeat will air as planned Monday night, despite objections from horse lovers.
By late afternoon, over 3,600 people had joined a Facebook group called "Boycott Top Chef – Protect the Horses," filling it with angry comments about the use of the equine meat in the installment. Debate also raged on news sites including CNN and Huffington Post.
Top Chef Canada, which airs on Food Network Canada, found itself a target on Facebook and elsewhere online after airing a preview of the May 16, 2011 episode, in which some chefs were required to cook horsemeat and foie gras as part of their weekly competition. The theme of the episode is classic French cooking.
Food Network Canada said Monday that the full episode will air this evening and will include all planned horsemeat-related segments. It will also feature a viewer advisory at the beginning of the show.
However, an online video preview of the episode has disappeared from Food Network Canada’s website.
One comment by Lauren Gilbert on the Facebook page reads: “I am appalled that horsemeat is even on the menu. For a show as popular as Top Chef, your network will be offending many of your viewers. Viewers who comprehend and who have a better understanding than you, as to the horrific fate of horses that end up in Canada’s slaughterhouses.”
Other comments focused on the quality of horsemeat itself.
Becky Speth wrote: “Your horsemeat is not raised like cattle on green fields, nor are the horses raised just for meat. These were once someone’s pet, a race horse that wasn’t fast enough, or the family pony listed for free on craigslist. They’ve been given medications, wormers and vaccinations that are clearly labeled "not for horses intended for food" and no studies have been done to see how long the residues stay in the tissue.”
Several advocacy groups, including the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition, have been driving traffic to the Facebook page and encouraging people to email Food Network Canada and Top Chef Canada’s sponsor, President’s Choice. A Facebook page advocating a boycott of Top Chef has also appeared.
Food Network Canada posted a reply late Wednesday on its Facebook page, which read, in part:
“Please be assured it is not our intention to offend our viewers. The challenge in this episode involves having the competitors create a truly authentic, traditional French menu. One of the most traditional French foods is horsemeat. Horsemeat is also considered a delicacy in many cultures around the world. While we understand that this content may not appeal to all viewers, Food Network Canada aims to engage a wide audience, embracing different food cultures in our programming.”
In Canada, horsemeat is unpopular but is sold at some butchers and restaurants and by some grocery chains in Quebec. In that province, as in France, the meat is sometimes called “viande chevaline”. The Metro grocery chain provides several recipes on its website.
According to the Metro website, horsemeat is dark red in colour, iron-rich and very lean. The site recommends it as an ideal meat for athletes and pregnant women.
But while few people eat horses in North America, it remains popular elsewhere in the world. Canada plays a significant role in that market.
According to Agriculture Canada, 93,946 horses were slaughtered for consumption in Canada in 2009.
Canada exported 17,309 metric tonnes of horsemeat that year, most of it to France (5,229 tonnes), and also to Italy and Japan among other counties. Horsemeat exports to the European Union alone were worth $44.65 million in 2009, according to Foreign Affairs Canada.
The Canadian horsemeat industry remains controversial, however. A private member’s bill banning the slaughter of horses for human consumption was introduced in the last Parliament. Protestors have also picketed establishments where horsemeat is sold.
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