Ikea defends meatball content

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. — American fans of Ikea’s Swedish meatballs can rest easy following clarification from the company regarding the origin of beef and pork found in meatballs sold at U.S. stores.

"Customer confidence is of the upmost importance to Ikea. In light of the recent press on Ikea meatball content, we would like to correct some misinformation. All meatballs sold in our Ikea US stores are sourced from a U.S. supplier. When this issue first came to light in Europe, we mapped the sources of the meat in our meatballs. Based on the results of our mapping, we can confirm that the contents of the meatballs follow the Ikea recipe and contain only beef and pork from animals raised in the US and Canada. All beef and pork from the United States and Canada must comply with USDA guidelines," the company said in a press statement.

"Ikea is committed to serving and selling high quality food that is safe, healthy and produced with care for the environment and the people who produce it. We do not tolerate any other ingredients than the ones stipulated in our recipes or specifications, secured through set standards, certifications and product analysis by accredited laboratories," the company said.

While the U.S. meatballs may be safe, Reports of the retailer selling tainted meat at its European stores has consumers worried.

The retailer was found to be selling frozen meatballs labeled as beef and pork that include horse meat in 13 countries across the continent.