Ikea dished out a vegan-friendly version of its famed Swedish meatballs on Wednesday, aiming to lure more shoppers to furniture stores that already sell close to a billion meatballs a year.
The veggie balls will be introduced in Japan, China and South Korea in June or July, although they are available in most of Ikea's stores as of Wednesday, Michael La Cour, managing director of Ikea's global food business, said in an interview Thursday in the chain's store in the Anderlecht district of Brussels. The Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce remain on the menu, he said.
The new chickpea-based veggie balls are the first step in a broader, health-focused overhaul of the retailer's in-store restaurant menu, La Cour said.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.