IKEA halts hotdog sales in Russia after horsemeat find

MOSCOW - Agence France-Presse

In this Monday, Feb. 25, 2012. file photo advertising billboards for Ikea meat balls are taken down as an advertising billboard showing a hot dog are seen in a parking at the Ikea store in Stockholm, Sweden. AP Photo

Swedish furniture giant IKEA said Thursday it was halting hotdog sales in its Russian stores after finding horsemeat in a locally-produced shipment of the fast food.
 
The case was the second such discovery in Russian sausages in the past week.
 
IKEA said the product was detected during a general food safety check that followed the Russian agricultural watchdog's February 28 discovery of horsemeat in an Austrian shipment of frankfurters.
 
Horsemeat sales are legal in Russia but not permitted in foods that fail to specify it on their ingredient list.
 
IKEA said the horse detected in hotdogs produced by the TF Remit manufacturer.
 
"In this connection, the IKEA company has decided to halt the sale of hotdogs," it said in a statement.
 
"Additional samples of hotdogs have been sent for analysis." IKEA operates 14 shopping centres in Russia that the company says receive 227 million visitors annually.