Swedish retailer IKEA is set to re-launch its trademark meatballs at its stores in Europe after last month’s horsemeat contamination scandal, which caused the company to withdraw the products from the shelves.
In February, IKEA recalled the meatballs and stopped sourcing from its primary supplier Familjen Dafgard after tests revealed that a batch contained horsemeat. The horsemeat in IKEA's meatballs was traced to a Polish abattoir.
IKEA Foods chief executive Edward Mohr was quoted by the Reuters as saying that the meatballs have been re-introduced in cafeterias in Sweden, Denmark and Finland, while the meatballs from Familjen Dafgard, which supplies to nearly all IKEA stores, will be launched by mid-April.
The company is also introducing several measures to ensure that its products are free from horsemeat. It is shortening its supply chain to facilitate easy traceability of meat back to its origins. IKEA has asked Familjen Dafgard to reduce the suppliers from 15 to 7, and has cut down the number of purchasing countries.
It has also introduced a DNA testing system and has hired external consultants to inspect all slaughterhouses that supply meat to the company..
