IKEA on Monday became the latest company to be drawn into Europe's horse-meat scandal, as the Swedish furniture giant said it had temporarily halted all sales of meatballs in 21 European countries to avoid upsetting customers.

The move comes after Czech food inspectors found traces of horse meat in IKEA's meatballs.

'We've decided to stop all sales of meatballs in most European countries in order to not create worries for our customers pending the results of our own tests,' IKEA spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson said.

Most of IKEA's meatballs sold in Europe are produced by a single Swedish supplier, Familjen Dafgård. The only exceptions are Norway, Russia, Switzerland and Poland, where meatballs are made by local suppliers and will remain available at IKEA stores there, Ms. Magnusson said.

The furniture giant earlier Monday pulled a batch of frozen meatballs tested horse-positive by Czech authorities and marketed as Köttbullar from all countries where they had been sold: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, France, the U.K., Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Cyprus and Ireland.

But a social media storm on Twitter and other network sites featuring concerned customers prompted IKEA to take 'extra safety measures' and stop sales of all meatballs made by Familjen Dafgård and distributed across Europe, Ms. Magnusson said.

'We hope that by takingdecisive action, we can show our customers that we take their concerns seriously,' Ms. Magnusson said. 'It's important that our customers feel safe, and if they have concerns they should contact us.'

Ms. Magnusson said none of the products are harmful to eat. 'This is about what it says on the label being correct.'

IKEA's meatballs are said to contain pork and beef.

Familjen Dafgård said in a statement that it is investigating the situation and expects to receive test results from its own DNA analysis in the coming days.

While mostly known for its flat-pack furniture and relatively cheap home products, IKEA generated 1.3 billion ($1.71 billion) in food revenue in 2012, representing 5% of its total sales. IKEA stores typically contain a cafeteria serving fresh food and a grocery section selling food products.