More bad news for Ikea as Chinese customs officials found fecal bacteria in a batch of 1,800 cakes. The cakes were seized and destroyed when high levels of coliforms were found.
This story comes shortly after the furniture giant announced that horsemeat was found in its frozen meatballs and sausages. A recall was issued on the tainted food and batches were pulled from the shelves from a total of 24 countries.
The affected food this time was the almond cakes with chocolate and butterscotch imported by Ikea from Sweden to China. All of the cakes came from the same supplier in Sweden and were to be shipped to Ikea locations all over the world.
"Chinese customs officials have found coliform bacteria that exceeds limits and we have decided to stop the sales of these cakes in all markets," Ikea spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson said.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the bad reputation in regards to food safety may be costly to Ikea's brand and sales. Grocery sales and inexpensive dining account for 5 percent of its annual revenue.
A test was run on the batches of cakes sold worldwide and in the UK and Ireland, not contamination was found.
"There is no health risk associated with consuming this product. The production batches have, as per safety and quality routines, been tested for bacteria that can cause health issues, such as E.coli, and none of these pathogen bacteria have been found," said an Ikea spokesperson, as reported by the Telegraph.
