Ikea assures food safety at Beijing store

While Beijing residents continued to line up at the Ikea store's cafeteria Wednesday, some said its recent involvement in food safety scandals would deter them from eating Ikea food products.

The Shanghai quarantine bureau said that they have destroyed 1,872 kilograms of chocolate almond cake imported by Ikea from Sweden because it has excessive levels of fecal coliform bacteria, AP reported Tuesday.

Xu Deli, PR officer with Ikea, told the Global Times Wednesday that the cake sold in Beijing's Ikea is safe.

"The cake that was found to have coliform bacteria in it was destroyed before it was put on sale," said Xu.

According to Xu, all food imported into China will go through a quarantine inspection before it can be sold, which will guarantee its safety.

"This is the first time our cake has been found to have a problem with coliform bacteria. We've suspended the sales of this batch of chocolate almond cakes in 22 countries around the world," Xu noted, adding that the cause of the contamination is under investigation.

Coliform bacteria is found in feces, as well as soil and water. Its presence in food can indicate contamination of more harmful bacteria like E.coli.

Fan Zhihong, a nutrition expert at China Agriculture University, said the excessive amount of coliform is because the food has been polluted by feces.

"It's hard to say what has caused the excessive coliform bacteria. It may be the original ingredients have a problem, or because the workers haven't been thoroughly disinfected," said Fan.

The cake problems came after another scandal when Ikea admitted horse DNA was discovered in the Swedish-made meatballs it sold in Europe.

Meatballs sold in China are made in Xiamen, Fujian Province, and contain beef and pork, Ikea said on February 26.

At Ikea's Beijing store on Wednesday afternoon, hundreds of customers were still lining up in the cafeteria area.

After asking 20 people, 12 still said they would continue to eat at Ikea after hearing about the food scandals.

A student surnamed Tang said she will still eat in the cafeteria because the food there is tasty.

"I don't dine at Ikea every day and I don't eat much. I don't think its food will cause me health problems," said Tang.

A woman surnamed Deng, who works in publishing, said that she will not go to Ikea in the short-term.

"I feel disappointed and have low confidence in it now. I've been to Ikea to eat many times because it's economic and more nourishing compared with other fast food restaurants," said Deng.

A 60-year-old man surnamed Liu, who works in finance, said that he will not trust Ikea food anymore.

"I can't risk my life. This news will have a negative impact on their business," Liu said.