Italy has found its first case of horsemeat contamination in frozen lasagne produced in the same region where the famous Italian dish hails from, the ANSA news agency reported on Saturday.

The horsemeat was found in tests on six tonnes of mincemeat and 2,400 packages labelled as "lasagne bolognese" -- literally "from Bologna" -- seized from a company near the city in central Italy.

The report identified the company as "Primia" and said it had used meat from another company in Brescia in northern Italy and originally supplied by two other companies also based in Brescia.

The tests were carried out as part of sweeping checks by police on 121 brands across the country.

Officials earlier said they had found no horsemeat in batches seized from Swiss food giant Nestle.