Ikea just can't get a break. First, the international purveyor of self-assembled furniture and Scandanavian hors d'ouvres got roped into the horsemeat scandal when traces of horse DNA were found in meatballs and sausages it sold. Now, according to the Guardian, almond cakes from its restaurants in 23 countries are being pulled after bacteria usually found in fecal matter was discovered.
The Swedish retailer stopped sales of its almond cakes after Chinese customs authorities found two batches that fell short of the country's hygiene standards, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Ikea said Chinese customs officials last December seized and destroyed a batch of 1,800 cakes imported from Sweden after tests revealed that the cakes contained a prohibitively high level of coliform bacteria