Vienna - Austria pulled a beef tortelloni dish distributed by German chain Lidl from the shelves on Friday after its food safety agency said traces of horsemeat were found in the product.
It was the first time the Europe-wide scandal of horsemeat sold as beef in ready-to-eat meals spread to Austria.
"Undeclared horsemeat has been found in the Tortelloni Rindfleisch product of German manufacturer Gusto GmbH" sold at Lidl stores, the country's food agency said in a statement.
It said it had not yet established the proportion of horsemeat in the product and would provide full details on Monday.
Lidl said it was in the process of withdrawing the product in Austria following orders from the health ministry.
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