British Lion eggs sourcing call after salmonella scare
The food safety scare led to the product recall of sports nutrition supplements supplied by MyProtein, initiated on October 10 by the Food Standards Agency.
The recall related to 1kg batches of Myprotein Free Range Liquid Egg Whites, with a best before date of 8 February 2013, sold via the Myprotein and Nutri Centre websites, and Nutri Centre stores. No other products from the company were affected.
“This is the second time we’ve seen salmonella contamination of liquid egg from imported products in recent years and it underlines the importance of ensuring manufacturers and retailers take extra care when purchasing egg products,” said Ian Jones, spokesman for BLEP.
Importance of stringent controls
“These outbreaks emphasise the importance of having stringent controls throughout the production of egg products, especially relating to salmonella.
“The controls in the British Lion Code of Practice minimise the possibility of contamination. We would urge food producers to specify British Lion egg products to ensure that they are buying egg products produced to the strictest standards.”
The Lion Quality Code of Practice includes compulsory vaccination against Salmonella Enteritidis for all pullets destined for Lion egg-producing laying flocks.
Independent auditing
It also demands independent auditing, full traceability of hens, eggs and feed and a best-before date stamped on the shell and pack, plus on-farm stamping of eggs and packing station hygiene controls.
The Lion Quality mark can only be used by subscribers to the British Egg Industry Council on eggs which have been produced in accordance with UK and EU law and the Lion Quality Code of Practice
The latest salmonella contamination followed a number of issues relating to egg products produced outside the UK, including dioxin contamination, said BLEP.
As part of the British Lion Egg Products Code of Practice, strict controls on hens’ feed are in place to minimise the possibility of contamination for British Lion eggs.
