Scientists have warned the European Union that extending the shelf life of eggs could significantly increase the risk to the public from salmonella.
Extending the sell-by date of eggs by just seven days could increase the risk of infection from salmonella by as much as 50 per cent, according to the scientists - members of the Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). EFSA, an independent European agency funded from the EU budget and responsible for ensuring the safety of food within the European Union, was asked by the European Commission to look into the consequences of extending the sell-by date and best-before date for eggs. In the worst case, said the scientists, the risk of infection from salmonella could treble.
Coincidentally, the warning from BIOHAZ came as the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) issued a call to wholesalers about best-before dates on eggs. The BEIC said that wholesalers should ensure that a best-before date was printed on their eggs to guarantee quality, freshness and food safety. BEIC said that the best way to do so was to buy British Lion eggs. It said that, although it was not a legal requirement, all British Lion eggs were stamped with a best-before-date. Many eggs sold by wholesalers, including those that were imported, often failed to display a date on the shell, it said, and were stocked on keyes trays, raising concerns about how operators could accurately identify the freshness of the eggs they were purchasing.
BEIC said that this could not only pose a food safety risk, particularly if salmonella was already present, but it could also prevent caterers being able to offer their customers the very freshest eggs, which research had shown to be a key consideration for caterers when buying eggs. Caterers were also at risk of mixing up eggs of different ages when storing them in the kitchen, said BEIC.
“The lack of best-before dates on egg shells within some wholesalers represents a significant due diligence risk for caterers, as well as a potential food safety risk for consumers,” said BEIC chairman Andrew Joret. “Caterers need this information and it’s about time that wholesalers gave it to them. There is no difference in best before dates between British Lion eggs and other eggs, so you have to wonder why some wholesalers don’t want the date printed on the egg shell.”
He said, “To avoid the risk and guarantee quality, fresh eggs that are produced to the highest food safety standards, caterers should specify British Lion eggs.”
The European scientists who were asked to investigate the implications of extending the shelf life of eggs concentrated on salmonella enteritidis, which is the strain of salmonella responsible for the highest number of egg-borne outbreaks in the EU. They reported that extending the storage time of eggs either at home or in retail outlets would increase the risk of salmonella food poisoning. They went on to detail how the risk of infection would increase according to the length of time that the shelf life was extended. They said that the risk could be as much as three times the current risk.
The scientists looked at the consequences of storage times for both eggs eaten on their own and eggs used as ingredients in other foods, and they considered both the sell-by date - the last date shops are supposed to display eggs for sale, and the best-before date - the time before which the eggs maintain their best quality. In their report the scientists said that if the sell-by date for household consumption was extended from 21 to 28 days for eggs, the risk of infections would increase by 40 per cent for uncooked and 50 per cent for slightly cooked eggs respectively. In the worst case scenario, they said, where the sell-by date was 42 days and the best-before date was 70 days, the risk would be about three times higher than it was currently for both uncooked and slightly cooked eggs. They said the results of their work suggested that the effect would be similar for eggs used in catering establishments, which were usually collected directly from wholesalers, by-passing retail.
“If salmonella is present inside eggs, it can multiply more rapidly as the temperature and storage time rise. However, thoroughly cooking eggs reduces the risk of infection”, said John Griffin, chairman of the Biological Hazards Panel. Keeping eggs refrigerated was the only way to reduce the increased risk of infections due to extended storage, he said. However, if the sell-by date and best-before date were extended for more than three weeks, the risk of salmonella infection increased even with refrigeration in shops.
The scientific study was requested by the European Commission to help inform any future developments on date marking for eggs. The European Food Safety Authority said that consumer confusion about the meaning of date labelling contributed to food waste in the home.
A salmonella control programme insisted upon by the European Union has resulted in a decline in the number of salmonella cases in humans in the EU over recent years. In the United Kingdom the problem has been virtually eradicated, largely, says BEIC, as a result of the controls put in place by the Lion code following the crisis of the late 1980s, when then Government Minister Edwina Currie went public with her now notorious comments about salmonella in eggs.
EFSA says that, whilst the best-before date appears on egg packaging, the sell-by date is an instruction to shop staff and does not appear on the packaging. BEIC is urging wholesalers to ensure that the best-before date appears on the egg itself. It believes that this is one way of ensuring that their eggs are safe and fresh.
