Ikea Withdraws Meatballs After Horse Meat Is Found

Smoked and salted horse meat on a sandwich.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The escalating crisis over horse meat in beef products in Europe claimed another big retail victim Monday when the Swedish furniture giant, Ikea, withdrew meatballs from sale in 14 European countries.

The retailer said it had removed some products from its stores in Sweden after the authorities in the Czech Republic detected horse meat in Ikea meatballs. The company said it had made the decision even though its own tests two weeks ago had not detected horse DNA.

Ikea also announced that it was stopping sales “of the concerned batch” of meatballs in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Britain, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Cyprus and Ireland.

“We are now initiating further tests on the same production batch in which the Czech Republic authorities found indications of horse meat,” Ikea added in a statement. It said results were expected in the coming days. Read more >>

Nestle products found to contain undeclared horse meat

Raw Horsemeat

The world's biggest food and drinks maker Nestle SA has become the latest company to pull some of its products off European shelves after they were found to contain undeclared horse meat.

The company, based in Vevey, Switzerland, said in a statement late Monday that it withdrew some of its beef pasta ready meals from sale after tests conducted two days earlier detected horse DNA. Nestle said it increased its surveillance after reports emerged last month of mislabeled products being sold in Britain.

"Our tests have found traces of horse DNA in two products made from beef supplied by H.J. Schypke," Nestle said in a statement. "The levels found are above the one percent threshold the U.K.'s Food Safety Agency uses to indicate likely adulteration or gross negligence."

H.J. Schypke, a German subcontractor for one of Nestle's suppliers, Belgium-based JBS Toledo N.V., said in a statement Tuesday that it had never knowingly procured horse meat.

"We regret this incident and will intensify our efforts to provide the highest quality products," it said. "As a result, we will conduct genetic tests on all raw incoming meat in future." Read more >>

Last month, Burger King found horse meat at European supplier

Originally published January 31, 2013
Burger King announced Thursday that it had terminated its relationship with European supplier Silvercrest Foods after finding traces of horse meat in beef patties at a Silvercrest facility.

Silvercrest provided beef for Burger King restaurants in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark. Burger King said that while samples of beef from restaurants in these countries showed no evidence of contamination, four samples from a Silvercrest plant in Ireland showed "very small trace levels of equine DNA."

Burger King said the tainted product was never sold in restaurants, and appeared to have originated from a sub-contracted supplier in Poland.

"[W]e are deeply troubled by the findings of our investigation and apologize to our guests, who trust us to source only the highest quality 100% beef burgers," Burger King's vice president for global quality, Diego Beamonte, said in a statement. Read more >>