The Food Standards Agency is to investigate exactly what goes into salamis and similar meat products being sold in the UK, to see whether they contain horse or donkey meat.
The agency is undertaking this work because of concerns that some salamis and similar products - such as chorizo and pastrami - may contain horse meat without it being declared on the label.
Earlier this year, the agency funded an informal survey by five local authorities to investigate whether horse or donkey meat was present in a sample of 24 salamis. Three of the 24 salamis contained horse meat, and this was not declared in the ingredients list.
Rosemary Hignett, the agency's head of food labelling, said: "There are concerns that UK consumers could unwittingly be eating horse and perhaps donkey meat when they buy a salami or similar product. Some people may prefer not to eat these products, even though food safety is not the issue and they are often traditional recipes.
"We do not yet know the scale of the problem, but we want to find out. It is important that people know what they are eating and can make an informed choice about whether or not they want to eat it.
"We are going to undertake a major survey of these products over the summer to find out exactly what is in the salamis that people eat, and whether that matches the ingredients list."
The agency will conduct a survey of more than a hundred salamis and salami-type products, the results of which will be published. Samples will be collected by local authorities across the country over the summer and will be taken from retail outlets such as supermarkets and delicatessens, as well as catering suppliers.