The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has moved to calm consumer anxiety over the level of egg imports from the Netherlands, responding to reports that eggs contaminated with the insecticide Fipronil could have entered the UK.
“The number of (imported) eggs involved is very small and the risk to public health is very low, but we are urgently investigating the distribution of these eggs in the UK,” said FSA. “We are working closely with the businesses that have received eggs from affected farms. Investigations to date indicate that any affected products are no longer on the shelves.
“The government has already taken action to prevent any risk to UK consumers by adding Fipronil to its robust surveillance programme in UK farms. We have no evidence that eggs laid in the UK are contaminated or that Fipronil has been used inappropriately in the UK. 85% of the eggs we consume in the UK are laid here.”
FSA added that the number of eggs involved represents about 0.0001% of the eggs imported into the UK each year.
“Our risk assessment, based on all the information available, indicates that as part of a normal healthy diet this low level of potential exposure is unlikely to be a risk to public health and there is no need for consumers to be concerned,” said FSA.
“Our advice is that there is no need for people to change the way they consume or cook eggs or products containing eggs.”
