Horsemeat found in Ikea meatballs in Czech Republic

By EU Reporter correspondent

Swedish-style meatballs intended for sale at Ikea outlets in the Czech Republic have been found to contain horsemeat, inspectors have revealed.

The discovery comes as European Union agriculture ministers meet in Brussels for talks widely expected to focus on the growing horsemeat scandal.

Inspectors said horsemeat was found in meatballs labelled as beef and pork, set for sale at the furniture giant.

The scandal began last month with frozen meals and burgers.

It spread from the UK and Ireland, with traces of horsemeat and horse DNA being found in food across the EU.

Supermarkets across Europe have had to withdraw affected prepared meals from their shelves.

Some 760kg (1,675lb) of the Swedish-style meatballs were intercepted and stopped from reaching Czech shelves, officials told the Associated Press.

Horsemeat was also found in beef burgers imported from Poland, the Czech State Veterinary Administration said.

The labelling of the origin of meat and the traceability of the products will be high on the agenda at the EU ministers meeting.

The original agenda of the ministerial meeting included support for rural communities and the common fisheries policy.

However, the ministers will now try to come up with measures to tackle the horsemeat scandal.

Anna van Densky

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