Czech inspectors find horse meat in Ikea meatballs
Horse-meat-positive meatballs made in Sweden for the Ikea Group, the world's largest furniture retailer, have not yet been distributed to consumers, Czech testers say.
PRAGUE — Czech inspectors have found horse meat in meatballs made in Sweden for Ikea Group, the world's biggest furniture retailer, the Czech food regulator said Monday.
The checks were carried out in response to a European-wide scandal that erupted last month when tests carried out in Ireland revealed some beef products also contained horse meat. It has triggered recalls of ready meals and damaged confidence in Europe's vast and complex food industry.
The Czech State Veterinary Administration reported its findings to the European Union's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, it said in a statement.
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The inspectors took samples for DNA tests in Ikea's unit in the city of Brno from a product labeled as "beef and pork meatballs," the statement said.
The consignment of meatballs that was tested had not been distributed to consumers, the statement said.
A spokesman for the institute said he did not know whether the meatballs were distributed in other European countries. Ikea said they were made by a single Swedish supplier.
The inspectors also found horse meat in burgers from Poland labeled as "beef pre-fried burger" supplied to the food trader and distributor BidVest Czech Republic. Czech inspectors had previously found undeclared horse meat in one other product sold on the Czech market.
Reporting by Jana Mlcochova
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