SCRAMBLE TO CLEAR POISON EGGS OFF SHELVES

Shop salads and sandwiches tainted by 700,000 contaminated eggs from Holland

THOUSANDS of salads and sandwiches are being taken off store shelves in a tainted eggs scare.

Four big supermarkets are withdrawing the products on the orders of the Food Standards Agency.

The watchdog had claimed only 21,000 of the danger eggs had been imported from Europe. It insisted there was no health risk and refused to name the affected retailers.

Yesterday however it admitted the true figure was much higher – potentially 700,000 – and confirmed the eggs had been used by Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda. Contam- inated with pesticide, the eggs went to factories making sandwich fillings, sandwiches, salad bowls and pots containing boiled eggs.

The problem was identified last November but watchdogs on the Continent failed to issue a Europewide food recall.

That means many of the tainted products are likely to have been eaten

already. UK egg producers criticised supermarkets and suppliers for using cheap imports.

They said it was ‘double standards’ to put British eggs on shelves while using foreign ones in processed food.

The pesticide in question – fipronil – is moderately toxic according to scientists but can cause organ damage when taken in large quantities.

It appears to have entered the food chain through its use in clearing mite infestations on Dutch farms. Police in the Netherlands yesterday announced the arrests of two men in connection with the illegal use of the chemical.

It is understood the egg contamination was picked up by the authorities in the Netherlands in November and then again by watchdogs in Belgium in June. It was not until last week that a Europe-wide food safety alert was issued with the result that millions of fresh eggs were removed from shelves in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and other states.

The UK recall was ordered only when the full scale of imports emerged.

Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University in London, said: ‘This seems to be a failure of the rapid alert system. It is astonishing. Perhaps the Dutch and Belgians thought what they found were isolated incidents. Perhaps they were scared witless.’

Ian Jones, chairman of British Lion eggs, said: ‘The major retailers are operating to double standards when it comes to eggs. All of them stock British Lion shell eggs but they use imported eggs in many of their other foods containing eggs.

‘This is just the latest of a number of food safety issues connected to eggs produced outside of the UK in recent years. Consumers clearly want retailers and food manufacturers to use good quality British ingredients that are produced to high standards of food safety, but in some prepared foods this is not the case.’

Previous problems include salmonella food poisoning outbreaks caused by cheap eggs from Germany and Spain.

The FSA claims it acted quickly once it was alerted to the fipronil problem. ‘It is very unlikely that these eggs pose a risk to public health, but as fipronil is unauthorised for use in food-producing animals we have acted with urgency to ensure that consumers are protected,’ it said.

Heather Hancock, the watchdog’s chairman, added: ‘The number of eggs involved is small in proportion to the number of eggs we eat, and it is very unlikely that there is a risk to public health.

‘Based on the available evidence there is no need for people to change the way they consume or cook eggs. However, fipronil is not legally allowed for use near food-producing animals and it shouldn’t be there.’ The Food and Drink Federation, which speaks for manufacturers, said: ‘The decision to withdraw products is not due to food safety concerns, but is based on the fact that fipronil is not authorised for use in food-producing animals.

‘As the FSA have said, it is unlikely that foods made with contaminated eggs are of any risk to public health.’