Retailers are seeking assurances from egg producers that they have not used a banned chemical on their farms, after a number of supermarkets were forced to remove products from their shelves in the wake of the fipronil scare.
The United Kingdom has been drawn into the European contaminated egg scandal following confirmation by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that eggs contaminated on European farms were imported into the UK.
Today, Sainsbury's confirmed that all salads containing eggs were being removed from sale because there was a risk that eggs may contain small traces of fipronil.
Asda, Morrisons and Waitrose have also withdrawn some products from their shelves.
Now, egg packers have apparently been asked by retailers to confirm in writing that no products containing fipronil have been used on their farms. Packers are, in turn, seeking the same assurance from the producers who supply them.
The FSA says there is nothing to suggest that the chemical has been used on UK farms. However, eggs contaminated in Europe have found their way onto the UK market.
The FSA originally thought that about 20,000 had been imported into the UK. The figure is now thought to be about 700,000.
'Very unlikely'
An update issued by the FSA read: "We have now established that more eggs from affected farms than previously identified came to the UK.
"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."
The FSA said that the products affected were processed foods in which egg was one ingredient among many others, mostly used in sandwich fillings or other chilled foods.
A spokeswoman for Sainsbury's said that two salad bowls were withdrawn from sale in the wake of the crisis. Shell eggs were unaffected, she said, because they were sourced from the UK.
Sainsbury's and other leading retailers were today criticised by British Lion Egg Processors for what it says are double standards - ensuring that shell eggs are British Lion whilst importing foreign egg for use in many other food products.
Ian Jones, chairman of British Lion Egg Processors, said: “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.
“As we approach Brexit, shoppers are growing increasingly concerned about the ingredients used in manufactured food and now more than ever want and deserve transparency on food packaging.
“The egg industry believes that this is a great opportunity for retailers to listen to the concerns of their customers and reassure them by specifying the use of British eggs and using the ‘Made with British Lion eggs’ logo on packs.”
'Safety is priority'
The Sainsbury's spokeswoman said: "The safety of our products is our priority. Our supplier has made us aware that two salad bowls, which contain egg, may include very small traces of fipronil.
“The FSA has advised that this is unlikely to pose a health risk, but we’re withdrawing these products from sale on a temporary basis as a precautionary measure. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.”
A Morrisons spokeswoman said, “100 per cent of our whole eggs are British and none of these eggs are affected.
"We are working closely with the FSA on their fipronil investigation and we have taken precautionary and prompt action to withdraw the three products that may be affected. The safety of our customers remains our priority.”
A list of other withdrawn products drawn up by the Food Standards Agency shows that Morrisons has withdrawn some salads and sandwiches from sale.
Asda has withdrawn baby potato and free range egg salad, spinach and free range egg snack pot and a salad bowl. Waitrose has withdrawn deli fillers.
Tesco said it was unaffected and was not withdrawing any products.
Criminal investigation
Prosecutors in Europe have launched a criminal investigation after millions of eggs were either withdrawn from sale or blocked in Europe following chemical contamination.
The Dutch food safety authority, NVWA, confirmed to FarmingUK that the public prosecutor had begun a criminal investigation into a company involved in treating layers against red mite.
The treatment, it seems, contained fipronil, which is banned from use on animals involved in the human food chain, including chickens.
Eggs in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium have been destroyed, withdrawn or blocked and well over 100 Dutch egg farms are still shut down whilst investigations continue.
The FSA said the 700,000 contaminated eggs it believes to have been imported into the UK represented 0.007 per cent of the eggs consumed in this country every year. It said it was very unlikely that there was any risk to public health from consuming these foods.
"Some of the products made from these eggs will have had a short shelf life and will have already been consumed. However, we identified some that were still within the expiry date. These are now being withdrawn by the businesses involved."
Food safety concerns
The FSA said the decision to withdraw products was not due to food safety concerns, but was based on the fact that fipronil was not authorised for use in food producing animals.
Heather Hancock, chairman of the Food Standards Agency, said: "I’m confident that acting quickly is the right thing to do. 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 FSA said it was reminding food businesses of their legal responsibilities to inform it and relevant local authorities immediately if they had any reason to believe that a food which they had imported, produced, processed or distributed did not comply with food safety requirements.
It said that 85 per cent of eggs consumed in the UK were laid in this country. There was no evidence that eggs laid in the UK were contaminated or that fipronil had been used inappropriately in the UK, it said.
Testing of eggs on farms was underway across the UK and results to date for England and Wales showed no exposure to fipronil.
Guidance
The British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) has circulated guidance suggesting that egg producers seek advice from their vet if they have any concerns.
BEIC chief executive Mark Williams said in the circular: "As you may be aware, nearly 200 farms in the Netherlands have had restrictions imposed on them so they are not permitted to move eggs, manure and/or birds due to the use of DEGA-16. This is because fipronil has been mixed into the product."
Mr Williams said in the circular: "If producers do have any concerns, it is advised that they seek further advice from their vet," he said.
Eggs have been withdrawn from sale in both Germany and Belgium after the Dutch authorities raised the alarm. "We work in a warning system with Brussels," said a spokeswoman for the NVWA.
"If we find something then we can use this to let other countries know." The NVWA has made a list of egg codes that may have been affected by contamination. These have been circulated to other countries to prevent them being sold to the public.
'Destroyed'
The NVWA spokeswoman said that restrictions remained in place on 138 farms producing eggs in the Netherlands.
"This means that they cannot sell the eggs or bring them to market. They will have to be destroyed." She said that eggs were not allowed to be destroyed by producers, themselves; the work had to be carried out officially.
"She said it was unknown how long the restrictions would remain in place because the authorities were still trying to analyse results and understand how long the effect of the treatment would continue to contaminate eggs.
She said that all the farms investigated for contamination had used the same company to treat their birds.
"We know that from receipts at the farms." She said a criminal investigation had begun, although she understood that the company involved in the investigation was no longer operational. Reports suggest that the company obtained the pesticide it used from a supplier in Belgium.
The Dutch egg industry organisation, Ovoned, has expressed anger at the contamination crisis. The organisation issued a statement saying that egg producers were innocent victims of something that should not have happened.
It said farmers had contracted a company to treat their birds against red mite, expecting that the treatment used would be effective and safe.
Ben Dellaert, director of Ovoned, as well as chairman of the International Egg Commission, told FarmingUK: "It turns out that several farms in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium (and maybe other countries) have used a company for a treatment against red mite. Now it turns out that the substance used contains fipronil, which is normally used against fleas on cats and dogs. Legislation forbids the use of fipronil on poultry."
'Below a certain level'
Mr Dellaert said that restrictions had been imposed on farms, meaning that eggs, birds and manure had to stay on the farm.
He said restrictions could be lifted if the level of fipronil in eggs fell below a certain level. He said the egg sector, itself, had already blocked the affected farms, starting on July 22. This meant that packing stations would not collect eggs from these farms.
NVWA told FarmingUK that treatment with the suspect chemical had been carried out on chickens over a period from January to July.
It is feared that Dutch egg producers could face mounting losses as the restrictions continue. The country's biggest supermarket chain, Albert Heijn, reportedly announced that it was removing 14 different types of eggs from its shelves.
Amongst the eggs it was removing were the company’s own brand free range and organic eggs. Jumbo, the second biggest Dutch supermarket group has also removed some types of eggs from its stores.
In Germany - a big export market for the Dutch egg industry - supermarkets have also been removing eggs from shelves. It is thought that nearly three million eggs from companies affected by the fipronil treatment were delivered to Germany before July 22.
According to the World Health Organisation, fipronil is a "moderately toxic" chemical, although in high concentrations it can have a dangerous effect on kidney, liver and thyroid gland function.
