Home furnishings giant IKEA reveals that it has withdrawn one batch of elk lasagne from its shelves in the UK and other European counties after traces of pork meat were found in the product.

The furniture retailer said on Saturday it had halted sales of LASAGNE ÄLG last month and that the company’s own test results on Friday had confirmed the presence of pork.

Sales of the lasagne, of which about 10,000 tonnes has been produced by a Swedish supplier for IKEA, were stopped at its stores in 18 countries across Europe after tests by Belgian authorities late last month revealed traces of pork.

Minced pork

“We received confirmation on Friday that one production series contained minced pork in very small quantity, roughly 1 per cent,” IKEA spokeswoman Tina Kardum said, adding that the tainted series totalled just over 17,000 packages.

“Due to this, we are now in dialogue with our supplier, which has taken steps to make sure this does not happen again.”

Kardum said the product had only been on sale for a month when it was pulled off the shelves on 22 March.

She said: “We have more information now. That’s why we choose to inform now.”

IKEA said it has conducted 25 tests of LASAGNE ÄLG along with two by the Belgium Authorities.

Refunds

The product is sold in the IKEA Swedish Food Market in some European countries.

The company has offered refunds to any concerned customers who return the product.

Ikea has previously recalled meat products sold in its cafeterias and frozen foods sections after tests showed that they contained traces of horsemeat.

In February, IKEA halted sales of its trade-mark meatballs after tests showed a batch contained horsemeat, a discovery that widened a Europe-wide horsemeat scandal that has damaged confidence in the continent’s food industry.