London ( CNN ) -- Fast food giant Taco Bell said Friday it has taken beef off the menu in its three UK outlets after tests on ground beef from a European supplier revealed traces of horse meat . The discovery of rogue horse meat in a wide range of beef products has thrown the European meat industry into disarray in recent weeks . A Taco Bell spokesman said the company had voluntarily ordered testing of its beef products in light of the scandal affecting other European retailers and food manufacturers . Opinion : Horse meat scandal shines spotlight on murky horse trade . `` Based on that testing , we learned ingredients supplied to us from one supplier in Europe tested positive for horse meat , '' he said . Beef was immediately taken off the menu and will not be served again until the company is satisfied that suppliers meet its standards , he said . `` We apologize to our customers and take this matter very seriously as food quality is our highest priority , '' he said . Taco Bell UK has informed the UK Food Standards Agency , which has been leading the investigation into unauthorized horse meat in Britain , he said . What 's behind the horse meat contamination scandal ? Two of the three UK Taco Bell outlets are in Essex , northeast of London , and the third is in Manchester , in northern England . There is no link in terms of products to Taco Bell in the United States or other outlets operated by Yum Brands , the spokesman added . Yum also owns Pizza Hut and KFC . `` Our domestic restaurants have not been , and will not be , impacted because we do not use any meat from Europe , '' Taco Bell said in a prepared statement . `` Like all beef in the United States , ours is USDA inspected and then passes our own 20 quality checkpoints . '' The horse meat scandal has extended across Europe , with questions raised over slaughterhouses and food suppliers in a number of countries . The Food Standards Agency released the results Friday of the latest round of testing ordered on products labeled beef across the UK food industry . So far , more than 99 % of tests continue to show no horse DNA at or above the level of 1 % , it said . Horse meat is not harmful in itself but authorities are concerned by its unauthorized presence in case it is tainted with a veterinary drug used to treat horses . Phenylbutazone , also known as bute , is not allowed to enter the food chain because it can pose a risk to humans . The European Union said last month it intends to begin testing meat across all 27 member states .
NEW : Taco Bell says its domestic restaurants have not been affected . It pulls all beef products from its three UK restaurants . Beef from a European supplier tested positive for traces of horse meat , a spokesman says . Europe 's meat industry has been in turmoil over the discovery of rogue horse DNA .