Paris:
French President Francois Hollande warned on Wednesday that the horsemeat scandal engulfing Europe could seriously damage the country's frozen food sector.
His comments came as European farming ministers and the European commissioner for health were set to meet in Brussels amid growing anger and recriminations over mislabelled meat products.
"The president underlines that it is a serious affair in relation to consumer confidence and potentially serious for the consequences for the French sector," government spokeswoman Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said.
France and Britain have confirmed that frozen lasagne contained horsemeat.
French food firm Comigel is at the heart of the food scare spreading across Europe. It produced the Findus lasagne that was found by Britain to contain up to 100 percent horsemeat.
Retailers in Britain, Sweden, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands have been removing Comigel products such as meatballs, hamburgers, minced meat and lasagne after the firm alerted Findus to the presence of horsemeat in its meals.