Northern Ireland’s three major supermarkets last night confirmed they will reimburse consumers who bought their pork products.

Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s withdrew all pork products on Sunday that were produced in the Republic or Northern Ireland since September 1.

The three retail giants said it is as yet impossible to put a figure on the cost of products involved in the scare.

Responding to the crisis, the FSA held an emergency meeting in London yesterday, although experts have offered assurances of the minimal risk to health of eating the products.

Asda last night said it would withdraw stock until it received further guidance.

“We can trace all our meat products back to the source they come from and we're currently investigating the situation with our suppliers across all our products. The FSA does not believe there is any significant risk to UK consumers and we will continue to be guided by their advice,” she said.

“Our No Excuses guarantee means that any ASDA product can be returned at any time. Customers wishing to return a product should take it back to their local store where they will be given an alternative or a full refund.”

Tesco last night said it was committed to meeting the needs of its customers.

“If customers are returning a product for a refund we would still ask them to bring a receipt if possible. However, we do recognise that these are exceptional circumstances,” a spokesperson said.

Sainsbury’s said that products containing pork from the Republic and Northern Ireland had been removed from its stores.

“Food safety is our top priority and we continue to work closely with our suppliers and the FSA to ensure our high standards are maintained,” she said.

“As soon as we became aware of this issue we immediately traced any affected products and removed them from shelves as a matter of urgency.

“Sainsbury’s will be offering customers a refund on all pork products purchased in their Northern Ireland stores. If the product is Sainsbury’s own brand you do not need to produce a receipt. If it is a branded product you must