Fipronil scandal one year on: still not enough action on egg standards

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Many eggs used in processing are still not used to sufficiently high standards, claims British Lion eggs

Last August, the EU-wide fipronil in eggs scandal came to light, making national news headlines for what seemed like weeks. Millions of eggs originating from the Netherlands and some other EU member states were destroyed and thousands of food products containing eggs were recalled, many from UK supermarket shelves, and at huge costs to business.

There might be a natural assumption that the latest in a long list of contamination issues might lead to food businesses re-assessing their sourcing to ensure it doesn’t happen again, protecting their business interests and their customers.

Read more: Food safety starts with properly trained workers

But once the mist clears and the media coverage has died down, the sad reality is that only a handful of companies committed to change. Wholesalers, retailers, caterers and food manufacturers that use the two billion eggs and egg products imported into the UK each year run the risk of being at the mercy of the next big issue. And so do their customers.

So what has happened since? Plenty, but nothing to provide reassurance.

The Dutch government recently released a report acknowledging that the Dutch egg sector did not have sufficient safeguards in place and knowledge of even statutory regulations was ‘too limited’. There has subsequently been another fipronil-related incident with eggs originating from the Netherlands. And the scandals don’t stop there. In 2018, millions of eggs have been recalled In the US due to salmonella, thousands of eggs have been recalled in Germany due to salmonella, and more than four million eggs were recalled in Poland due to lasalocid contamination. And just last week the victims of a salmonella outbreak in the UK, linked to German eggs, were awarded £275,000 in compensation.

These aren’t minor incidents, and they’re not isolated. Similar things have been happening for years, and will continue to happen unless something changes.

Companies may specify pasteurised egg products thinking they are protected, but food businesses should, by now, be aware that not all pasteurised eggs are the same. There is a clear gap in standards between the requirements British Lion egg processors follow, and the requirements of EU legislation.

As an industry we’re constantly asking food businesses to use British Lion eggs in prepared foods, as well as their fresh egg supplies, and to include clear labelling on packs. While some businesses are specifying British Lion egg products, the figures are nowhere near the same level as Lion eggs at retail or that consumers would expect.