Horsemeat taints canned food in Bahrain. Horsemeat taints canned food in Bahrain.

Twenty two meat products labelled 'halal' were pulled off shelves after they were found to contain pork and horsemeat during testing by Bahrain's Ministry of Health.

A total of 172 products were tested by the ministry in collaboration with the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) laboratories, and 22 were found to be contaminated.

"A total of 22 contaminated imported and processed meat products were found in the market. 16 products were found to have horse meat and six with pork," the ministry said in a statement.

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Labelled as beef, these canned items were sold in supermarkets and fast food outlets in the Kingdom.

There have since been calls for consumers to take action against those responsible through filing of lawsuits.

The ministry also said it will continue its tests of imported meat to ensure they are halal.