Horsemeat Found in IKEA Meatballs; Now on Recall

Horsemeat was recently found in the packaged meatballs of the IKEA Company. The Swedish company mostly known for selling furniture had to recall a batch of meatballs recently packaged and sold to 13 different European countries.

IKEA spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson said meatballs from the same batch had gone out to Slovakia, Hungary, France, Britain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Ireland. Magnusson said meatballs from that batch were taken off the shelves in IKEA stores in all those countries.

All over Europe people have learned that meat being passed off, as beef is actually horsemeat. The first report came from a factory in Ireland; they admitted that the beef burgers they sold to the United Kingdom contained traces of horse DNA.

The Inquisitr reports that In Italy 2,400 packages of lasagna Bolognese had to be recalled because they too contain horsemeat and not beef. The Nestlé Company in France had to recall its Ravioli products as well.

How and why exactly the horsemeat is being passed off, as beef is unknown. Three men were arrested in the United Kingdom in connection with the horsemeat controversy.

The Wall Street Journal says "European officials are trying to determine whether the mislabeling can be traced back to one scheme or whether passing horse meat as beef is a widespread practice. The price of horsemeat can be far less than beef, which could mean big profits for companies that can disguise horsemeat."

The consumption of horsemeat in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and France are taboo. Other countries however like China, Japan, Germany, Mexico and Poland don't blink twice when it comes to eating horse.

In the US, UK and France horses are national pets. Many people own their own horses and consider them part of the family. You wouldn't eat your dog would you?

So far no trace of horsemeat has entered the United States, as the companies in question do not export their products to the US.

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Horsemeat
IKEA
recall
world news
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