You might think twice about eating Ikea swedish meatballs

[gingersmom]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-inspectors-find-horsemeat-in-ikea-meatballs-20130225,0,2171383.story

 

I'm so happy I don't like meat. :)

[SailorMom]

Thankfully nothing has been found in the US, but give it time, right?

[Lily_Grace]

Meh. Horse is sold here as food, even in little Gerber jars for babies. We eat cow, sheep, and the rest. Horse doesn't bother me.

[stripe]

Meh. Horse is sold here as food, even in little Gerber jars for babies. We eat cow, sheep, and the rest. Horse doesn't bother me.

But you like your meat labeled correctly, right? I mean, if someone wants to eat beef, and is given turkey or rat, it's a bit of a different thing, isn't it? Or if someone pays for that expensive and dangerous pufferfish liver (fugu) in a Japanese restaurant, to be served a chicken liver?

[Lily_Grace]

But you like your meat labeled correctly, right? I mean, if someone wants to eat beef, and is given turkey or rat, it's a bit of a different thing, isn't it? Or if someone pays for that expensive and dangerous pufferfish liver (fugu) in a Japanese restaurant, to be served a chicken liver?

 

At the price Ikea meatballs go for, I'm surprised they aren't mostly soy.

 

 

Our family has hit up 10 different countries in the past 5 years. At this point I randomly choose something from the menu and hope it's edible. Very few things are going to gross me out if it's been prepared well.

[stripe]

 

At the price Ikea meatballs go for, I'm surprised they aren't mostly soy.

 

 

Our family has hit up 10 different countries in the past 5 years. At this point I randomly choose something from the menu and hope it's edible. Very few things are going to gross me out if it's been prepared well.

 

Ha. I hear you on Ikea food. As the mother of a child with a food allergy, and with food preferences of my own, I like to know what I'm eating. One can choose to be "adventurous" if the true item is named, but I'd rather not have cockroach mush labeled as "chocolate coating" on my ice cream. You know what I mean?

[mommymilkies]

That makes me very glad I haven't eaten them in years. Ugh.

[Amy in NH]

But you like your meat labeled correctly, right? I mean, if someone wants to eat beef, and is given turkey or rat, it's a bit of a different thing, isn't it? Or if someone pays for that expensive and dangerous pufferfish liver (fugu) in a Japanese restaurant, to be served a chicken liver?

 

 

Yes, but they're called "meat" balls, right? Are they actually labeled "beef meatballs", or "beefballs"?

[kewb]

Other countries eat horse without a second thought. I just don't see it as that big of a deal unless they are claiming they are beef.

[stripe]

Yes, but they're called "meat" balls, right? Are they actually labeled "beef meatballs", or "beefballs"?

But the generic term for ground meat in a spherical shape is, in English, "meatball," regardless of whether it's chicken, pork, veal, beef, or some mix. I know people who use the word "meat" to mean exclusively lamb. I presume horse wasn't on the ingredient list.

Other countries eat horse without a second thought. I just don't see it as that big of a deal unless they are claiming they are beef.

I have never met a country yet that ate anything. "Other countries" or people living in them do not all act the same. There are people who are vegetarian, who only eat certain meats, and people with food allergies, and, most of all, there are people who like to know what it is they are eating. And those countries have labeling laws. Otherwise you have garbage on the market -- including fake formula and drugs -- such as is rampant in many parts of the world. Do YOU want to buy malaria medicine that's really just powdered dirt? I didn't think so.

 

We are talking about Europe, where food labeling is very important. Champagne is not just any random bubbling alcoholic beverage. Parmesian cheese and ham must actually come from Parma. Certain kinds of meat, cheese, and alcohol have exclusive rights to names based on what they are and/or where they come from.

[Mergath]

I don't see what the big deal is either. *shrug* As long as the meat is safe, I'm not going to get my panties in a twist if there's a bit of some other large, hoofed animal in there.

[kewb]

 

I have never met a country yet that ate anything. "Other countries" or people living in them do not all act the same. There are people who are vegetarian, who only eat certain meats, and people with food allergies, and, most of all, there are people who like to know what it is they are eating. And those countries have labeling laws. Otherwise you have garbage on the market -- including fake formula and drugs -- such as is rampant in many parts of the world. Do YOU want to buy malaria medicine that's really just powdered dirt? I didn't think so.

 

 

Yes, you are correct, the country itself can not eat meat. Horse is not uncommon as a source of nutrition for people who live in countries that are not the United States. My point was and still it-horse in the meatballs is not a big deal unless it was not labeled as such. Happy now?

[RoughCollie]

It just makes me wonder what other things I'm being lied to about regularly.

 

Fish. http://www.forbes.co...new-study-says/

 

http://www.forbes.co...ef-of-the-seas/

 

Also, olive oil, but I don't have time right now to find links for that.

 

There are several meats I don't eat, and I'd be angry if I found out they were in my food. The fish debacle really makes me mad on DH's behalf, since I don't like fish. I am diligent about making sure the fish I buy is wild, caught in U.S. waters, and packaged in the U.S. It turns out the labeling could be false and the fish I buy may not be the type of fish I thought I was buying.

[stripe]

I agree. I don't see the big deal that it was horse

The big deal was that it was labeled as being beef and pork. Horse is neither. Putting a cheaper product and then having false labeling is the real problem, not whether one should or likes to eat horse.

Yes, you are correct, the country itself can not eat meat. Horse is not uncommon as a source of nutrition for people who live in countries that are not the United States. My point was and still it-horse in the meatballs is not a big deal unless it was not labeled as such.

It was labeled as beef and pork. That is exactly the problem.

I don't see what the big deal is either. *shrug* As long as the meat is safe, I'm not going to get my panties in a twist if there's a bit of some other large, hoofed animal in there.

Would you mind if you bought something labeled as being made from "ground beef" and it was really lamb? Or cat? Or squirrel? Or soy? How about if you shelled out for salmon and it was really cod, dyed pink? Or a blueberry muffin made with apple chunks, dyed blue (Tim Hortons did/does this)? How about paying extra for butter, but it's really margarine? I don't understand how inserting other items and misrepresenting the contents totally is fine. Do you have any food preferences at all?

 

Another example, Rough Collie, is basmati rice. I just read Bee Wilson's Swindled. YUCK!

 

 

 

 

http://www.ikea.com/...restaurant.html

Are these the same meatballs ?

 

 

"Well ... no actually they're not!"

 

Recently, the IKEA Food Services replaced the meatballs with ones that are made using better quality beef and pork mixed to a more traditional Swedish recipe.

 

The beef and pork are sourced from approved suppliers that operate to the highest quality export standards to ensure food is fresh & safe for consumption.

 

So if you’ve been wondering whether the meatballs look and taste different… you are right! They are different.

 

We hope to bring you a little bit closer to Sweden by serving you more authentic looking and tasting meatballs.

 

Smaklig måltid!

[Chris in VA]

mmmm....squirrel...

 

Jk

 

I do care that it's labeled properly. Have to say I still find them tasty, whatever they are. Hope it doesn't make its way here.

[Mergath]

The big deal was that it was labeled as being beef and pork. Horse is neither. Putting a cheaper product and then having false labeling is the real problem, not whether one should or likes to eat horse.

 

 

 

Obviously they need to make sure the ingredient list is correct. I wouldn't freak out just because I inadvertently ate some horse, though.

[stripe]

 

Yeah that's basically what I said. I get the impression some people are more upset about the fact it was horse than the mislabeling though.

I wouldn't eat an Ikea meatball regardless, but, given horse's popularity in Europe, I get the same impression.

 

Maybe Ikea should move into escargot? Isn't that sort of a nice, ready-made meatball?

[RoughCollie]

I wouldn't freak out just because I inadvertently ate some horse, though.

 

You might if you started neighing afterwards. Isn't that what happens?

[stripe]

 

 

You might if you started neighing afterwards. Isn't that what happens?

Aw, I am sure it's not all bad.... After all, your hair might grow long and luxurious.

 

Or you might start being able to run really fast.

 

But it's kind of funny to think of inadvertantly eating horse, isn't it?

[Guest submarines]

It isn't actually about IKEA, but about the general issues with meat in Europe. The moment IKEA knew, they recalled the product. That's what you would expect, right? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_meat_adulteration_scandal

[Lisbeth]

Yuck, but I am equal opportunity abt saying yuck about meat. It all seems disgusting to me now.

[stripe]

Come on, you've got to admit it's funny that IKEA-US has something on their website saying

 

http://www.ikea.com/...restaurant.html

 

Are these the same meatballs ?

 

"Well ... no actually they're not!"

...

So if you’ve been wondering whether the meatballs look and taste different… you are right! They are different.

 

We hope to bring you a little bit closer to Sweden by serving you more authentic looking and tasting meatballs.

[shanvan]

http://www.chicagotr...0,2171383.story

 

I'm so happy I don't like meat. :)

 

Well, I'll be the dissenter who cares and say I'd be pretty upset to find out I'd eaten part of a horse. I've ridden a pony for 20 years who was saved from the 'meat men'. He is the sweetest thing. His owner was the only bidder and he bid slightly higher than 'the killers' (his words). But, I'm irrational like that, and, yeah, I'd get my panties in a twist over it.

[SarahW]

We watch BBCA for news in our house a lot, and this has been a weeks-long investigation in Europe.

 

Though for my European husband, when the story first broke he kinda shrugged. "Horse is tasty." I don't think he was joking, in his country horse is the traditional dish of certain holidays.

 

The problem is that it's not labeled as an ingredient on the food packaging. And most of the horsemeat was found in the cheap frozen microwave meals, meaning that the companies making those were deliberately trying to pad their profits by filling their product with the cheapest ingredients possible, apparently not caring that they were lying to the poor/elderly/immigrants and those most likely to buy these meals. And yes, it was deliberate. Horsemeat is packaged with a special label, and someone somewhere was removing those labels.

 

And it's not just "shady" companies that have this problem. Nestle is getting hounded by this too.

[Lily_Grace]

 

And it's not just "shady" companies that have this problem. Nestle is getting hounded by this too.

 

 

Give me a time when Nestle HASN'T been involved in a scandal. The fact that they donated expired formula to families in third world countries after they encouraged them to wean/not bf at all is still fresh in people's minds. Their unethical practices led to the malnutrition and death of infants in countries that would have had a better chance otherwise.

[KungFuPanda]

 

 

Yeah kinda weird that a furniture store sells meatballs.

 

 

It's a furniture, stuff, and grocery store with a cafeteria. They sell everything. The furniture is just prominent bacau we it's bigger.

[WandaMarks]

Ha. I hear you on Ikea food. As the mother of a child with a food allergy, and with food preferences of my own, I like to know what I'm eating. One can choose to be "adventurous" if the true item is named, but I'd rather not have cockroach mush labeled as "chocolate coating" on my ice cream. You know what I mean?

 

I'm with you there. I think people have the right to know what they are eating.

[Mergath]

Aw, I am sure it's not all bad.... After all, your hair might grow long and luxurious.

 

Or you might start being able to run really fast.

 

But it's kind of funny to think of inadvertantly eating horse, isn't it?

 

 

Hey, my hair is already long and luxurious, thank you. It's my tail that's a little scraggly.

[Cindy in FL.]

My cousin and his family were just here visiting from China (they're not Chinese). One of the 7yo boys saw a dog at the park and said, "Look, there's a dinner dog". His mom was thankful that she didn't have to explain it to an innocent bystander! :)

[WiseOwlKnits]

There's a whole other issue I don't see mentioned here. The vast majority of horses are given a pain med called bute. Bute is carcinogenic in humans and horses used for meat are not to be given bute. Even a tiny bit of it injested via horse meat in a child can cuase aplastic anemia. And they have found this drug in the meat that's tested positive for horsemeat.

 

People aren't happy that they're eating mislabeled meat. But the real issue here is that they have allowed meat to enter the foodchain that should have never been allowed and there's a potential now for health issues because of it. This goes way beyond simply being "grossed out" by the idea of unkowingly eating horse.

 

Here's an article about it.

[shanvan]

My cousin and his family were just here visiting from China (they're not Chinese). One of the 7yo boys saw a dog at the park and said, "Look, there's a dinner dog". His mom was thankful that she didn't have to explain it to an innocent bystander! :)

 

 

Ick! I'm thankful (and so are our dogs) that we have a different POV. Wonder how my kids would feel if they heard that while out walking their dogs?

 

There's a whole other issue I don't see mentioned here. The vast majority of horses are given a pain med called bute. Bute is carcinogenic in humans and horses used for meat are not to be given bute. Even a tiny bit of it injested via horse meat in a child can cuase aplastic anemia. And they have found this drug in the meat that's tested positive for horsemeat.

 

People aren't happy that they're eating mislabeled meat. But the real issue here is that they have allowed meat to enter the foodchain that should have never been allowed and there's a potential now for health issues because of it. This goes way beyond simply being "grossed out" by the idea of unkowingly eating horse.

 

Here's an article about it.

 

 

And yet another good point.

[stripe]

There's a whole other issue I don't see mentioned here. The vast majority of horses are given a pain med called bute.

 

I think NMoira talked about this in another meatball thread

[mellifera33]

 

 

Ick! I'm thankful (and so are our dogs) that we have a different POV. Wonder how my kids would feel if they heard that while out walking their dogs?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, if it makes you feel any better, when I spent time in China my hosts assured me that only ugly dogs end up as dinner. ;)

[Slartibartfast]

The US stores get their meatballs from an American supplier.

 

http://www.nytimes.c...wanted=all&_r=0

 

I ate Ikea meatballs Sunday. Yum.

 

Aside from the chemical issue I would probably not be bothered if I accidentally ate most types of meat, though there are some exceptions.

 

The Humane Society says that because horse meat is not consumed in the United States, the animals’ flesh is likely to contain residues of many drugs that are unsafe for humans to eat. The organization’s list of drugs given to horses runs to 29 pages.

[Laura Corin]

My cousin and his family were just here visiting from China (they're not Chinese). One of the 7yo boys saw a dog at the park and said, "Look, there's a dinner dog". His mom was thankful that she didn't have to explain it to an innocent bystander! :)

 

It was probably black. I was told in China that black dogs were most prized for eating (I don't know why). Funnily enough, in my Chinese neighbourhood, most pet dogs were white: lots of bichons and poodles

 

Laura

[Laura Corin]

There's a whole other issue I don't see mentioned here. The vast majority of horses are given a pain med called bute. Bute is carcinogenic in humans and horses used for meat are not to be given bute. Even a tiny bit of it injested via horse meat in a child can cuase aplastic anemia. And they have found this drug in the meat that's tested positive for horsemeat.

 

....

 

Here's an article about it.

 

 

Just for balance: the residue likely to be consumed in horsemeat is about one thousandth of the 'therapeutic dose' implicated in human health issues, and even in those cases the risk is one in 30,000. As one journalist said: "If you are eating enough processed food to get a human dose of bute, then it's the fat, sugar and salt you should be worrying about, not the bute."

 

Laura

[lil' maids in a row]

I find horse slaughter to be a particularly cruel proceedure. I also feel that because horses are less docile than cows, their transportation and confinement prior to slaughter is also less humane. I would not eat horse meat for many reasons (these in particular) and would be upset if a company lied about the product I was buying.

[Laura Corin]

I find horse slaughter to be a particularly cruel proceedure. I also feel that because horses are less docile than cows, their transportation and confinement prior to slaughter is also less humane. I would not eat horse meat for many reasons (these in particular) and would be upset if a company lied about the product I was buying.

 

 

I would certainly be upset if the I was mislead about the content of the packet, but horses are transported and confined more frequently than cows in this area: taken to horse shows, etc. by horse box on busy and winding roads.

 

Laura

[lil' maids in a row]

Unfortunately the way that horses are transported and confined for horse shows is very different from the way they are transported and confined for slaughter, at least in the U.S. and Mexico (I believe horse slaughter is now illegal in the U.S., so many U.S. horses are now transported to Mexico for slaughter) .

[Melissa in Australia]

Unfortunately the way that horses are transported and confined for horse shows is very different from the way they are transported and confined for slaughter, at least in the U.S. and Mexico (I believe horse slaughter is now illegal in the U.S., so many U.S. horses are now transported to Mexico for slaughter) .

 

 

They way cows are held for slaughter in US is vastly different than in other countries as well. We watched some documentary about the food process in America and could not believe that the cows are held in pens that are waist deep in manure. Not something that happens here.

Just pointing out that other countries have completely different standards.

[Laura Corin]

 

They way cows are held for slaughter in US is vastly different than in other countries as well. We watched some documentary about the food process in America and could not believe that the cows are held in pens that are waist deep in manure. Not something that happens here.

Just pointing out that other countries have completely different standards.

 

 

Yes. For example, intensive beef cattle rearing is much less common in the UK. Most beef cattle are kept outdoors, only being brought in for winter protection. I just checked that this is still the case.

 

Laura

[lil' maids in a row]

 

 

They way cows are held for slaughter in US is vastly different than in other countries as well. We watched some documentary about the food process in America and could not believe that the cows are held in pens that are waist deep in manure. Not something that happens here.

Just pointing out that other countries have completely different standards.

 

 

Yep. It is a pretty sad situation. Hoping the situation changes sooner rather than later.

 

 

[Laura Corin]

Duplicate.