Consumers could pay the price for horsemeat scandal

The boss of one of the country's leading supermarkets warned today that consumers could end up paying the price for the horsemeat scandal, as ensuring food has the best safety guarantees means it can no longer be regarded as a "cheap commodity".

Mark Price, the managing director of Waitrose, said rising costs of rearing animals could mean that "somewhere along that long supply route, somebody has looked to cheat and take advantage of these circumstances either for their own personal greed or to keep a company afloat."

Waitrose has not been affected by the scandal, which Mr Price, writing in the Sunday Telegraph, puts down to its rigorous verification processes.

But he said that not every part of the food industry has been so diligent.