The Food Standards Agency today announced a change to its advice* about eating eggs – infants, children, pregnant women and elderly people can now safely eat raw or lightly cooked eggs that are produced under the British Lion Code of Practice.
Professor Paul Wigley, Professor of Avian Infection and Immunity, commented: “The FSA decision is a reflection on the success of UK egg producers in all but eliminating Salmonella from the UK flock. Since the introduction of vaccination in 1998 the levels of Salmonella have declined. Vaccination, along with high standards of hygiene and biosecurity required in the UK, has been a key to this reduction to negligible levels in Lion Mark eggs. The poultry industry is frequently criticised but we should recognise a success story for our farmers.”
*The Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) report, on which the advice is based, is available here: https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/acmsf-egg-reportv1.pdf