Imported salmonella eggs identified

A MASS salmonella outbreak some weeks ago was fairly quickly attributed to “imported eggs”, which were later identified as eggs from Ukraine. These eggs were not usually on general sale, but they were being supplied to the catering industry.

British eggs are each individually stamped, so retail and wholesale consumers can see that they are safe. This practice was adopted several years ago, after it was made public that British eggs were rife with salmonella. Testing was introduced, along with the stamp, and salmonella is now very rare in UK eggs.

It is unlikely that you would have found Ukrainian eggs in a retail outlet. They were mostly going to the catering industry. Sometimes caterers would deliberately order cheaper eggs, but sometimes it was the wholesalers who imported Ukrainian eggs when there were spikes in demand. The caterers would see the eggs arriving from their usual suppliers and might not even know that they were Ukrainian imports.

Now a new batch of Ukrainian eggs has been identified as entering the UK retail and catering industries, and it too may contain salmonella. They originate from Yasensvit Ltd, Ukraine, and are stamped with the code 3UA1012066. The eggs have been found in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. They come in packs of different sizes, with different sell-by dates. They may have been sold to small shops, but they have not been supplied to supermarkets.

If you do have these eggs and have already consumed some of them, look out for the symptoms of salmonella. These include having a high temperature, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps. If you have these symptoms, do not go to work or school until the symptoms have been over for 48 hours, to avoid passing the infection on. Healthy adults will usually recover from this nasty infection, but vulnerable people – children, the elderly, pregnant women, disabled people – can be very ill and may need medical treatment to help them recover.

If you have eggs in your kitchen, just check that they are not stamped with this code. Check the actual egg, as it may have been repackaged. If you have them, do not eat them. You can approach the shop where you bought them and try to obtain a refund. Ultimately, you should not eat the eggs. Dispose of them safely.

Catering businesses should check too. If you find that you do have these eggs, you should not use them or otherwise supply them to the public. Dispose of them safely. If you have already used them in your catering or have supplied them to members of the public, you should stop using or supplying them and you should undertake a product recall.  Contact the Food Standards Agency if you need any further information, or the Trading Standards section of your Local Authority (Council) may be able to help.

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