The British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) has raised concerns over the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) advice for vulnerable people to avoid runny eggs, amid a national Salmonella outbreak potentially linked to imported eggs.
The FSA has advised under-fives, over-65s, pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions to ensure eggs eaten in restaurants, cafés and takeaways are thoroughly cooked. It has stressed that there is no evidence UK-produced eggs are affected by the outbreak, however, producers have expressed concern this message has not been stressed clearly enough by the FSA.
The BEIC said imported eggs were “once again under scrutiny” in connection with the outbreak and reiterated concerns over the standards applied to imported eggs.
Nick Allen, BEIC chief executive, said British Lion producers had invested in “world-leading food safety controls”, including mandatory Salmonella vaccination, traceability and independent auditing.
UKHSA said 207 cases had been confirmed by 13 August, with one death, and that investigations had identified links to food businesses supplied by multiple egg sources, including importers.