Now tainted egg probe widens to quiches, cakes and mayonnaise
WATCHDOGS are investigating whether eggs tainted with pesticide have also been used in cakes and pastries.
Four supermarkets have already removed a range of products including salads and sandwiches.
The recall could now be widened to include desserts, quiches, mayonnaise, Yorkshire puddings, ice cream and noodles. British manufacturers import the equivalent of 15 million eggs a week and nearly half come from Holland.
There are concerns that at least some of these were contaminated with the pesticide fipronil, which was used illegally on farms in the Netherlands.
Most of the imported eggs arrive in liquid or powder form which is then used as ingredients.
Millions of fresh eggs have been cleared from shelves across Europe as a result of the contamination.
Chairman of British Lion Egg Processors, Ian Jones, said the public would be shocked at the huge quantity of foreign eggs used in products in their fridges and cupboards.
He said it was particularly alarming given the number of food poisoning outbreaks linked to imported European eggs in recent years. Mr Jones said: ‘The UK are big consumers of Dutch egg products, so it is clearly possible that these were exported to the UK.
‘Eggs are so versatile that they are used in a huge variety of foods, but mainly cakes, pastries, Yorkshire puddings, ready meals, mayonnaise, Scotch eggs, quiche and egg custards.We need to find out whether these products have been made with tainted eggs. That will be a job for the Food Standards Agency and the Dutch authorities.’
Mr Jones called for better label- ling and demanded that supermarkets should use only British eggs in all their products, not just those sold as fresh in boxes.
While imported eggs are cheaper, British products are produced to the highest safety standards. ‘Seventy per cent of UK shoppers say that prepared food containing eggs should clearly show the origin of the eggs on the packaging,’ said Mr Jones.
‘Nothing comes close to our standards. Lion egg products are the best in the world. People want safe British food.’
The Food and Drink Federation, which speaks for manufacturers, confirmed its members are investigating the use of egg products from Holland across ‘all relevant food categories’.
The Food Standards Agency says the number of suspect eggs has reached 700,000 and has ordered recalls of products sold by Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrison.
A spokesman for the watchdog, which insists there is no risk to public health, said: ‘Investigations are continuing. The situation is constantly evolving and it is possi- ble that we will identify more implicated products as our investigations continue.’
Governments in Europe are at loggerheads over apparent delays in issuing recalls.
Two companies, one from Holland and another from Belgium, apparently colluded to use fiprinol to combat a red mite infection on chickens on some 180 farms.The chemical is recognised as a toxin by the World Health Organisation and it is illegal to use it on food producing animals.
Earlier this week, Dutch authorities arrested two managers of the pest control company Chick-Friend over allegations that it supplied the chemical.
To date, 15 EU countries along with China and Switzerland have reported receiving contaminated eggs or associated products.