The FSA’s updated guidance is based on a 2016 report by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food. The committee was tasked to assess the current level of microbiological risk to consumers from raw or lightly cooked shell eggs, and assess how the risk with respect to Salmonella has changed since the committee’s last report on this subject in 2001.
The Report concluded that since 2001, there has been a major reduction in the potential risk of Salmonella from UK hen shell eggs. The report noted that this was especially the case for those eggs produced under the Lion Code Quality Assurance Scheme, which comprises a suite of measures such as, vaccinations, enhanced testing for Salmonella, improved farm hygiene, effective rodent control and independent auditing and date stamping on each individual egg. The Report concluded that:
- the risk level for UK hen shell eggs produced under the Lion Code, or under demonstrably-equivalent comprehensive schemes, should be ‘VERY LOW’;
- ‘VERY LOW’ means that UK eggs produced under the Lion Code, or under demonstrably-equivalent comprehensive schemes, can be served raw or lightly cooked to all groups of society;
- the risk level for other UK hen shell eggs should be considered as ‘LOW’;
As a result of its findings, the Report recommended that the FSA should consider amending its advice on eggs.
The FSA’s revised guidance advises that eggs produced under the British Lion Code of Practice can now safely be eaten raw or lightly cooked. However, this differs from the conclusions outlined in the Report, which suggested that eggs produced under demonstrably-equivalent comprehensive schemes can also be served raw or lightly cooked to all groups of society. The Report contains no definition as to what constitutes a demonstrably-equivalent comprehensive scheme.
Clearly this is good news for UK produced eggs however, understandably the 10% of producers who are non-Lion, many of whom will be NFU members, are unhappy that the FSA revised advice does not cover all eggs laid in the UK that are also subject to the UK National Control Programme (NCP) for Salmonella in layers. Indeed, we have been contacted by a number of members in this regard.
The NFU has sought an explanation from the FSA as to why it has advised that eggs produced only in accordance with the Lion Code are safe to eat raw (or lightly cooked) especially when the Report highlighted that eggs from other demonstrably-equivalent comprehensive schemes are also considered to be very low risk. In addition, we have asked what the FSA require from non-Lion scheme producers to demonstrate equivalence.