What’s your preference for eggs? Thank you, safe.
Due to an outbreak of Salmonella, eggs are once again in the news. However, instead of a chicken, the offender this time is a chocolate one. It’s a timely reminder that, in the worst situations, life literally depends on food safety, making it the most crucial consideration in food preparation.
Aside from chocolate, an egg is an egg, right? globally identifiable in terms of taste, texture, and shape. This assumption, nevertheless, can be risky since it ignores the significant disparity in the amount of care and attention required to produce different types of eggs.
Thankfully, there are some international criteria that allow every commercial egg supplied to the general public or caterers to be recognised by its place of origin and production process. That’s great and will be very helpful if there is a problem, but it won’t stop one.
It won’t inform you about your level of risk or the food safety requirements at any point in the chain. Unless, of course, it is created in accordance with the British Lion’s standards, where the well-known small red lion—one of the most recognisable emblems for food safety—appearing on almost 200 billion eggs since its inception indicates that the egg has been manufactured in accordance with the highest food safety standards in the world. This mark indicates that product is considered safe for all social groups, including the most vulnerable, by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
The Lion logo has such relevance with some groups that, according to recent research, nearly half of mothers of small children actively search for the Lion when buying eggs. When they eat out, though, the onus of accountability shifts on the restaurant. Because they are unsure of the type of eggs they will be served, customers expect the caterer to exercise the same level of scrutiny over their purchases as they do.
Due to the impact of avian flu on British egg production in the later half of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022, there is a strong demand for eggs, which could result in an increase in imports. When buying eggs or enforcing egg safety, more caution is needed.
Thankfully, almost 90% of UK production is covered by the Lion scheme, but because of its scope, people tend to assume that all eggs are up to par. That is incorrect, though, and should raise red flags, particularly if the location is feeding small children, expectant mothers, or the elderly.
Because of its immense popularity, the Lion has sparked a shift in UK policy, as up until recently, all eggs were thought to carry a risk of Salmonella.
The microbiological risk of Salmonella in UK hen shell eggs has significantly decreased since the 2001 ACMSF report. This is especially true for eggs produced under the Lion Code quality assurance programme, which includes a number of measures such as enhanced Salmonella testing, improved hygiene and sanitation, effective rodent control, date stamping on each individual egg, traceability, and a cool chain from farm to retail outlets.
The FSA then released fresh guidance on egg handling and hygiene procedures to local authorities in 2017.2. The recommendation said that because the risk was so low, lion eggs might be used in lightly cooked or even raw foods for vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, young children, and the elderly. The research did note that precautions still needed to be taken in catering environments to prevent egg contamination. It was recommended to exercise extra caution when it came to pooled eggs because they are more likely to become contaminated when stored.
Since using Lion eggs eliminates one hazard from the kitchen, many establishments now include a requirement to exclusively use them in their food safety management systems (FSMS). Salmonella can contaminate eggs, and importing eggs from other nations—like Poland and Spain—may make the danger higher.4 In a busy kitchen, infected hands, surfaces, and other items can transmit Salmonella through contaminated eggs. If the food is not refrigerated, Salmonella can thrive in pooled eggs or mixes containing tainted eggs.
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cooked egg
Even though it is now safe to serve lightly cooked Lion eggs, pasteurised liquid eggs were the main ingredient used in catering for a number of years when establishments wished to serve undercooked or lightly cooked egg dishes. Many found this to be more convenient, especially when catering on a large scale. Important controls still need to be put in place to keep this product safe from contamination and improper temperature handling. During preparation and cooking, it must be maintained refrigerated and not stored outside of the chiller for extended periods of time. The product must also be used before its use-by date.
For both shell and pasteurised eggs, the Lion Quality Scheme is crucial. There is a widespread misperception that processed eggs made outside of the UK can provide comparable assurances on food safety as those made under the British Lion programme. However, the risk increases and traceability gets harder when you break free from the safeguards and assured requirements of the British Lion brand and take an egg from its shell.
Another misconception is that pasteurised eggs are always safe. A number of food safety issues involving non-UK pasteurised eggs in the last several years have been linked to feed contamination, insecticide-contaminated eggs, and inadequate heat treatment.
Concerns regarding non-UK egg products have been voiced by the government’s Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF), which has highlighted three distinct incidences of Salmonella in imported egg products and noted that pasteurised eggs can pose a risk to food safety. It was proven that there will be less risk associated with egg products produced locally.
Egg products’ safety records are sometimes disregarded because they are frequently perceived as an unidentified ingredient in processed foods like cakes, quiche, and scotch eggs. However, the same buying guidelines that apply to shell eggs also apply to egg ingredients. Can you trust where it came from, and hence the safety of the manufacturing process?
With over 13 billion eggs consumed annually, eggs are a staple of dining tables both inside and outside of homes. Nevertheless, it’s critical to understand that not all eggs are laid equally. The simplest method to identify this is to make sure you search for the Lion, which offers customers assurance and standards that are guaranteed.