PARIS (AFP) - Pasta maker Panzani, a subsidiary of Spain's Ebro Foods, said on Tuesday it had found traces of horsemeat in ravioli made by a French supplier and that the products had been withdrawn in France.

A statement said that the supplier, William Saurin, was "deceived by one of its suppliers". It said Spanghero, the firm at the heart of the scandal gripping Europe, was in no way involved.

It said none of its other products "showed any traces of horsemeat".

Panzani also said it bought all of its meat from western European suppliers.

Panzani did not indicate how many ravioli meals were withdrawn. All of them were for sale in France.

Panzani is the latest company after Sweden's Ikea to be entangled in the ballooning scandal over horsemeat in food products that erupted in January when horse DNA was detected in beefburgers in Britain and Ireland.

The affected firms include Nestle, which last week was forced to yank products off the shelves in Spanish and Italian supermarkets after detecting horsemeat in deliveries from a German supplier.