Bologneighs

More Bad News: Horsemeat Found in Ikea’s Swedish Meatballs and Birds Eye Products

Swedish Meatball-gate: The next big hurdle.
Swedish Meatball-gate: The next big hurdle. Photo: iStockphoto

Quantities of unregulated horsemeat that infiltrated Europe’s food supply and subsequently turned up in a staggering number of grocery-store and food-service products like Burger King’s burgers, Findus’s prepackaged frozen lasagna dinners, Tesco’s hamburgers, have also now been discovered in IKEA’s Swedish meatballs and in Bird Eye’s chilli con carne and bolognese sauces. Birds Eye’s parent company announced on Friday that samples of its chili con carne distributed throughout Europe tested positive for horse DNA, and authorities in Scotland recalled the entire frozen hamburger from primary schools countrywide, both signs that the issue of the tainted food may be far from resolved. Now it’s come down to Ikea’s beloved Swedish meatballs.

Earlier today, the Czech State Veterinary Administration announced that Ikea’s frozen meatballs, which are ostensibly made from beef and pork, tested positive for as-yet-unspecified amounts of horse. While the retailer said its own in-house review hadn’t uncovered any tainted meatballs, it nonetheless announced on its European Facebook page that the products would be pulled from store shelves immediately to assuage “potential worries among our customers.” At the moment, it is unclear if IKEA’s meatballs, which are made in Sweden, will be recalled in other countries, but the chain’s U.S. Facebook page is already filling up with backlash and an assortment of horse-related comments this morning. “Give your horse meatballs away,” reads one. “Don’t destroy food!!!”


Horse meat found in Ikea’s Swedish meatballs
[AP]
Birds Eye withdraws ready meals after horse DNA found in chilli [Guardian]
Related: Ikea Added Delicious Horsemeat to Its Meatballs at No Extra Cost [Daily Intelligencer]
Earlier: Horsemeat News Keeps Getting Worse

More Bad News: Horsemeat Found in Ikea’s Swedish Meatballs and Birds Eye