New advice on eating runny eggs issued by Food Standards Agency

People at risk of food poisoning symptoms can now safely eat the products provided that they are produced under the British Lion Code of Practice.

That is according to advice published today (October 11) by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), after previously recommending that ‘vulnerable’ groups should not consume them because they may contain salmonella bacteria which could lead to serious illnesses.

However, the revised advice does not apply to severely immunocompromised people who are on medically supervised diets, and is only for eggs produced under the British Lion Code of Practice.

For UK non-Lion, non-hen and eggs from outside the UK, is that they should always be cooked thoroughly for vulnerable people.

A report published in July 2016 by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiology Safety of Food found that salmonella in British eggs had been ‘dramatically reduced’ in recent years, and risks for eggs produced under the British Lion Code of Practice are low.

The FSA says that more than 90 percent of UK eggs are produced under this scheme.

Heather Hancock, chairman of the FSA, said: “It is good news that now even vulnerable groups can safely eat UK eggs without needing to hard boil them, so long as they bear the British Lion mark. The FSA has thoroughly reviewed the scientific evidence about the safety of these eggs, and we're confident that we can now change our advice to consumers.

“The major reduction in the risk of salmonella in Lion eggs is testament to the work carried out by egg producers. The measures they've taken, from vaccination of hens through to improving hygiene on farms and better transportation, have dramatically reduced salmonella levels in UK hens.”

Wide-ranging interventions have been installed across the food chain as part of the British Lion scheme, including vaccinating hens, enhanced testing for salmonella, improved farm hygiene and effective rodent control.