The Food Standard Agency has issued an alert that some batches of British Lion eggs sold at popular British supermarkets, Asda, Aldi, and Sainsbury’s have been contaminated with salmonella bacteria. British Lion is a British trademark symbol that is printed on the eggs that meet the food quality standards of England. Nearly 90% of the eggs that reach the market are marked with the British Lion stamp.
What Is Salmonella Food Poisoning?
The warning comes from the country’s Food Standard Agency after finding packs of British Lion eggs sold in the above mentioned supermarkets have been found to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella is a type of bacteria that develops in food items, especially in poultry and eggs. If the hens affected by salmonella are asymptomatic, the bacteria spreads to the eggs, making them contaminated for consumption.
“Symptoms caused by salmonella usually include fever, diarrhoea, and abdominal cramps”, says FSA. Along with releasing the batch number of the British Lion eggs that could have been contaminated, the Food Standard Agency has also advised shoppers to cook the eggs properly before consumption. This means that the yoke and the egg white shouldn’t be runny.
The government has issued this alert after an investigation revealed nearly 100 consumers were affected by the salmonella food poisoning from eggs. Reports also emerged that several farms missed testing their eggs for salmonella bacteria. This has made the Food Standard Agency warn consumers about the possible contamination of batches of eggs in supermarkets in spite of the British Lion stamps.
Salmonella can enter an egg even before the shell is formed. Sometimes, the shell is also contaminated when it is exposed to poultry droppings, or other contaminated eggs. For this reason, the government has also released a statement saying that the shells of particular batches of British Lion eggs might have also been contaminated.
