SINGAPORE — IKEA Singapore has announced that it has issued a temporary stop in sales of meatballs amid the growing horsemeat scandal that reached the Swedish giant in Europe, even as it clarified that there is little danger of contamination here.

IKEA announced yesterday that is pulling all meatballs produced by its main supplier in Sweden after tests showed horsemeat in its beef and pork meatballs.

In a statement released this afternoon, IKEA Singapore’s Asst Advertising and Public Relations Manager Ms Sandra Keasberry said: “As a precautionary measure, we have issued a temporary sales stop of meatballs at the IKEA Swedish Food Market and IKEA Restaurant pending results from DNA testing. We expect the test results middle of next week to confirm that there are no indications of horsemeat in the meatballs,”

IKEA Singapore also clarified that meatballs sold here “contain only beef and pork sourced and produced from Australia”.

“There is a halal line at IKEA Tampines where meatballs containing a mixture of chicken and beef from Brazil and Australia respectively are sold. These are halal certified and locally produced. None of our ingredients are produced by the affected suppliers,” said IKEA Singapore.

“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 horsemeat scandal erupted in Europe last month when tests in Ireland revealed some beef products contained horsemeat, triggering recalls of ready-made meals in several countries and damaging confidence in Europe’s vast and complex food industry.

Meatballs, a famous Swedish dish often served with mashed potatoes, gravy and lingonberry jam, have become a trademark for IKEA, which sells them hot from the in-store cafeterias and packaged off the shelf.