Swedish furniture mega-retailer IKEA has pulled a line of meatballs from its Thai stores following accusations that the snacks contained (drum roll)…horsemeat.
The debacle started last week, when a Czech foodstuffs inspector discovered that the meatballs contained not only beef and pork, but also equine meat products. Though IKEA had originally withdrawn the product from only its European stores after hearing this news, the company announced on Monday that it would withdraw the meatballs from its stores in Thailand, Hong Kong and the Dominican Republic as well.
This scandal represents the second such PR pratfall for IKEA since the company first set up shop in Thailand. IKEA has also taken heat for an advertisement it released, which some special interest groups said was insulting to transgendered people.
The Bangkok Post reports that the US Food and Drug Administration has not yet commented on the affair, leading industry watchers to speculate that the European claims may have been erroneous.
