Tesco unveils testing regime to avoid future horsemeat scandals

The boss of Tesco, Philip Clarke, has revealed his plan for cleaning up the food supply chain on the wake of the horsemeat scandal.

He is promising fewer imports of meat from other countries, closer relationships with farmers in this country, and the supermarket plans its own system for testing products.

Clarke told me he understood why the government had attacked retailers for not speaking out more publicly during the scandal. But he acknowledged that trust in the industry has taken a hit, and apologised.

It is also clear he is hoping the government will come up with a better way of testing food products to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Crucially though, he says he cannot guarantee that a more robust system won't mean higher prices. Good food, he says, can be cheap, but even with the lowest priced products that could come at a cost.