Swedish company Ikea is best known for its furniture and the, well…unique method of assembling that furniture with a series of inventive attachments and tools. But lately the company, which also sells meatballs in its stores, has fallen into the meat scandal that is moving throughout Europe. The company withdrew meatballs from its stores after concerns arose that the meatballs may contain horse meat. Stores in the U.S. and Canada were not affected according to a statement from Ikea, but stores in Europe were.
Ikea reacted quickly after a store in the Czech Republic noted that horse DNA had been detected during testing of the meatballs. The testing was conducted on 2.2-lb. packs of meat labeled as beef and pork. Of two batches tested, only one contained horse meat, though the group conducting the testing did not indicate how much.
Ikea noted that meatballs from the same batch had been sent from a Swedish supplier to 12 other European countries, and that all the meatballs would be pulled. The other countries are Slovakia, Hungary, France, Britain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Ireland. "This is an extraordinary effort to ensure that no one is worried," said Ikea spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson. As for what’s going on with Ikea meatballs in the U.S., we have that answer as well. "Based on the results of our mapping, we can confirm that the contents of the meatballs follow the Ikea recipe and contain only beef and pork from animals raised in the U.S. and Canada," Ikea North America spokeswoman Mona Astra Liss said in a statement.
Ikea reacted quickly after a store in the Czech Republic noted that horse DNA had been detected during testing of the meatballs. The testing was conducted on 2.2-lb. packs of meat labeled as beef and pork. Of two batches tested, only one contained horse meat, though the group conducting the testing did not indicate how much.
Ikea noted that meatballs from the same batch had been sent from a Swedish supplier to 12 other European countries, and that all the meatballs would be pulled. The other countries are Slovakia, Hungary, France, Britain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Ireland. "This is an extraordinary effort to ensure that no one is worried," said Ikea spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson. As for what’s going on with Ikea meatballs in the U.S., we have that answer as well. "Based on the results of our mapping, we can confirm that the contents of the meatballs follow the Ikea recipe and contain only beef and pork from animals raised in the U.S. and Canada," Ikea North America spokeswoman Mona Astra Liss said in a statement.
