THE BRITISH Consumer Association warned people yesterday the "only way" to avoid the risk associated with mad cow disease was not to eat British beef or related products.
The association's director, Mrs Sheila McKechnie, said the new scientific evidence that the disease could be passed to humans should be published and that the British government should offer clear guidelines to "cut through the current confusion.
"Consumers who want to avoid the risk of BSE have no choice but to cut out beef and beef products from their diet. There is currently an unquantifiable risk in eating beef.
"Some consumers will decide that the risk is acceptable and our advice to them is that they can reduce the risk by only eating `muscle meat'.
"There is no scientific information available that can predict the level of the risk with any security. This poses consumers with a very difficult choice," she added.
As butchers and supermarkets across the country braced themselves for a consumer boycott of British beef products and attempted to reassure customers about their safety measures, a leading chain, the Co Op, announced it was considering importing beef from abroad for the first time in its 150 year history.
Mr Bill Shannon, a Co Op director, said he believed the "present state of confusion" following the government's announcement would mean British beef being left on the shelves as consumers searched for alternatives.
"This is a bolt from the blue. Only recently the government took out full page advertisements stating there were no problems with British beef, now there are problems.
"There is an opportunity to import beef from Australia and New Zealand, and we will be looking into it because we recognise that consumers will switch to other products," he said.
Several supermarket chains announced money back guarantees on beef products and a list of "beef free" goods.
The fast food chain McDonalds is printing a leaflet about BSE to be distributed through all its outlets.