IKEA to stop sale of veg biryani, samosas in India

Swedish home furnishings giant IKEA, which opened its first India store in Hyderabad last month, said it had decided to stop selling vegetable biryani and samosas, after a customer last week complained of a worm in the meal, according to a report by ET online.

In a statement on Wednesday, an IKEA spokesperson said: “IKEA takes food safety and quality very seriously and customer health is always a priority. Following an incident on August 31, when a customer encountered a foreign object in the dish he ordered, IKEA India has voluntarily stopped sales of two of its most-appreciated products — vegetarian biryani and samosa, sourced locally in India.”

IKEA follows strong internal processes to secure quality, and takes full responsibility of its supply chain. IKEA India has initiated an internal review to take any corrective actions needed, it said in the statement, according to the ET online report.

Following the complaint, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation fined the store. IKEA will resume sales of the two products after it has secured the review process, the company said in the statement, ET online reported

IKEA’s Hyderabad store, spread over 400,000 sq ft, houses the firm’s world’s largest restaurant, which has a capacity of 1,000 seats.