A food safety expert has spoken out amid a row over claims that horse meat has been found in mince sold in Australia, warning that shoppers "can't trust the labels" on packaged meat products. The intervention adds to public unease about food labelling standards and comes as questions are raised over whether existing checks are robust enough to guarantee that mince is what it claims to be.

The expert reportedly pointed to a "financial incentive" for producers to substitute cheaper meat, such as horse, for beef without proper disclosure, echoing concerns raised during Europe's 2013 horsemeat scandal. Full details of the specific claims, testing evidence and any regulatory response from Australian authorities were not fully available in the article text provided.