Swedish meatball purveyor Ikea confirmed this morning that it was the latest in an ever-increasing number of European companies to get caught up in the continent's horse meat scandal.

A batch of frozen meatballs that were slated for consumption at various Ikea stores around Europe tested positive for horse DNA, the Czech State Veterinary Administration announced today.

The meatballs were manufactured in Sweden and distributed to at least 13 countries, including Slovakia, Hungary, France, Britain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Ireland.

Ikea spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson said the tainted batch had been recalled, and other shipments of the product were not affected.

Despite claiming that it had conducted its own tests and found no cause for concern, Ikea released a statement on its Facebook page saying it would stop serving Kottbullar meatballs at its Swedish stores indefinitely due to "potential worries among our customers."

In related news, Nestle, the world's largest food manufacturer, has recalled three pasta products in at three different markets — Italy, Spain, and France — after they were found to contain traces of horse meat.

"There is no food safety issue, but the mislabelling of products means they fail to meet the very high standards consumers expect from us," the company said in a statement.

[photo via AP]