No SE bacteria in recalled eggs, says VSD
KUALA LUMPUR: The Veterinary Services Department (VSD) has denied that there is Salmonella enteritidis (SE) bacteria in CES008 eggs, which were recalled by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) a week ago.
This came after the department conducted investigations and tested swab samples from chicken cloaca, droppings, eggs and feed and water from the affected farms at its Salak Tinggi laboratory.
“Lab tests confirm that there are no traces of SE bacteria in the samples. VSD will carry out further discussions with SFA about the matter,” it said yesterday.
VSD was also conducting tests on CEM014 eggs, which were recalled by the Singaporean authority for the same reason.
The department said it would improve its monitoring of salmonella contamination through the National Animal Disease Surveillance Programme on all 276 farms in the country to ensure a safe supply of eggs.
VSD said SE contamination was common and it could happen at farms due to poor practices in biosecurity and hygiene.
Contamination could also occur along the egg marketing chain due to poor handling, it said.
“Consumers are advised to ensure that the eggs they buy are clean, with no traces of droppings, and kept at a suitable place and cooked well before consuming them. SE can be destroyed at temperatures of more than 71°C,” it added.
SFA had recalled CES008 and CEM014 eggs, which were imported from separate farms in Malaysia within a week.