The Orange Leaf cafe seems unaffected
Millfield businesses could see an upturn in trade as the horse meat scandal continues to affect major retailers.
Public trust in beef products has diminished, with sales of frozen burgers in supermarkets plummeting 43 per cent since the beginning of the scandal.
However, smaller businesses have yet to be affected and the scandal could mean consumers shop elsewhere than the big supermarket chains.
Rob Bewick, 51-year-old owner of the Orange Leaf café in Millfield, said: “It’s been no skin off my nose at all. I sell 100 per cent steak burgers and there isn’t any horse in that.
“It actually could be a good thing as people become more educated that eating meat every day isn’t good for you.”
Mr Bewick also says he hasn’t changed his menu since the revelations, and he doesn’t believe that he has lost any customers.
Monika Paulauskaitė, 20, who also works at the café, said: “Some customers have seemed quite angry about it (the horsemeat scandal), but I think that they trust our food to be good quality.”
Though the Orange Leaf seems to be doing well during the crisis, Millfield residents have expressed their concerns about the nationwide situation.
Barry Smith, 38, who lives on Houghton Street, said: “I was shocked when I found out. I mean, how do we know what is safe to eat anymore?”
The Food Standards Agency has launched a survey in response to the scandal but some people think the authorities could do more.
Joan Farrell, 53, from Barnes Park Road, said: “The government needs to step in and sort it out so we can trust our food again.”
For more information and updates on the scandal please visit the Food Standards Agency website www.food.gov.uk or call the helpline on 08450518322.
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