French anti-fraud agents on Monday searched two firms at the centre of a scandal over horsemeat disguised as beef in ready-to-eat frozen meals sold in supermarkets across Europe. The inspections came as French ministers prepared to hold a crisis meeting with key players in the meat industry, as the scandal that erupted in Britain continued to spread across the continent. The DGCCRF fraud office said its inspectors were in the Comigel plant in the northeastern city of Metz and on the premises of Spanghero, which is based in the southwest.

The French supplier who said it sourced lasagna meat in Romania must have known it was dealing with horsemeat, not beef, the president of Romania's food industry federation Romalimenta said Saturday. "I am certain the importer knew it wasn't beef, because horsemeat has a specific taste, colour and texture," Sorin Minea told AFP. There are three abattoirs in Romania that slaughter horses and export their meat to the European Union, mostly to France and Italy, he added. "It's a legal operation that complies with standards," he said.

Britain's horsemeat lasagne food scare spread to several other European countries on Friday as officials said they suspected criminal activity was behind the growing scandal. Swedish food giant Findus withdrew various frozen meals from France and Sweden, a day after withdrawing frozen beef lasagne from sale in Britain that was found to contain up to 100 perecent equine flesh. The British supermarket chain Aldi meanwhile announced on Friday that two ready meal ranges contained similar quantities of the meat.

By Mohammed Abbas and Neil Maidment LONDON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The British government accused unknown criminals for a growing scandal of horsemeat being sold in imported beef products that has generated shock headlines in a country where many recoil in horror at the very idea of eating horses.