Muslims, vegetarians served pork during conference in Sweden

Some 180 employees of a Swedish municipality were to be served vegetarian meatballs for lunch by a restaurant, but instead were served pork, a Swedish newspaper reported.

According to the Sydsvenskan newspaper, the employees, who were invited for lunch during Malmo city's urban planning annual management conference, became suspicious while having their meal, and reacted to the taste of what they were served.

Among the guests were a number of vegetarians, vegans and Muslims.

Several employees, according to the report, asked the restaurant if it was really vegetarian food, and the restaurant responded in the affirmative.

Later, it turned out that the meatballs were made from different types of minced meat, including minced pork, making the employees angry, said Lotta Hansson, the communicator at the city planning office, who held the lunch.

Malmo has banned meat to be served at its events for the city's tens of thousands of employees. The restaurant's mistake meant that the employees were not served a vegetarian meal, despite the fact that many do not eat pork for religious or ethical reasons.

Taking responsibility for the mistake, the restaurant waived the entire cost of the lunch.