Ikea's New Vegetarian Swedish Meatballs Will Cut The Product's Carbon Footprint In Half

Ikea's Veggie Meatballs Could Help Save The Planet
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MyLoupe via Getty Images
IKEA world famous meatballs served with boiled potatoes, a brown sauce and lingonberry jam at the local store, Sweden, Linkoping. (Photo by: MyLoupe/UIG via Getty Images)

Swedish flat-pack giant Ikea has announced plans to roll out vegan meatballs which will help drastically reduce the company's carbon emissions.

The new version of the classic Swedish meatball (or Köttbullar) will be bulked out with chickpeas, kale, carrots, peppers and peas.

The original Köttbullar, made with pork and beef, will remain on sale in the warehouse stores where customers often spend so long shopping they eat at least one meal. Sometimes several. They are really tasty meatballs.

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IKEA chief executive Peter Agnefjall told the Daily Mail: "We are launching a vegetarian meatball. We see a big opportunity.

"The vegetarian meatball will go global in April and have 50% less carbon dioxide than a normal meatball. It’s healthier and better for the planet."

The veggieball will be hitting UK Ikea stores this May after a two year development process, allowing a significant reduction in carbon and methane emissions from the farming process.

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The Swedish firm sells one billion meatballs every year, with five million selling in the UK alone.

This decision to sell a vegetarian alternative comes after years of petitioning from Peta, the animal welfare charity.

A spokesperson said there will be no animal product in the meatless meatballs, making them suitable for vegans.

Good news for anyone who was put off by the horsemeat scandal, when traces of pony and horse were found in Ikea's Köttbullar.

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If you've ever been to a furniture store, you might have experienced that laying down to "test" out a mattress or sofa could result in dozing off for a bit. But at one store store in China, IKEA put out signs encouraging people to take a rest. (credit:Getty Images)
That time IKEA confirmed the coming of vegetarian meatballs(02 of08)
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It's no secret that one of the big draws of going to IKEA is the delicious meatballs (about 150 million are sold each year). In 2014, the retailer made sure that everyone could enjoy its meatballs by saying a vegetarian version would be on its way. (credit:Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com/Flickr)
That time IKEA made a mirror that just complimented people all day...(03 of08)
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After finding out that most people need a good compliment or two in the morning to start their days off right, IKEA decided to "reinvent the mirror" by commissioning a real life "mirror, mirror on the wall" that doled out compliments at one store in the UK. We're not sure how much it costs, but this "motivational mirror" seems worth every penny. (credit:IKEA UK/YouTube)
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That time IKEA finally started selling stationary and gift-wrapping...(08 of08)
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IKEA announced earlier this year that stationary will be sold at its new Paper Shop, making the Swedish retailer essentially a one-stop shop for everything furniture and fun. Meatballs, nap rooms and now colorful stationary -- what more could a person want? (credit:IKEA)