21.06.2009

Poor egg handling practices in restaurants and takeaways could be putting UK consumers at risk, reveals a new report from the Health Protection Agency and LACORS (Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services). Food poisoning risks associated with food preparation in the catering industry include the use of large volumes of eggs and the practice of pooling and mixing eggs, with which there are numerous risk factors.
Councils across the UK collected hundreds of egg mix samples from restaurants, takeaways, bakeries, cafés and sandwich bars, along with information on hygiene practices. Although the study revealed low levels of Salmonella contamination in egg mix samples (0.13%), 14% of takeaways were not aware of key food safety practices for the use of egg mixes. Worryingly, 43% of staff did not wash and dry hands after handling eggs and egg mixes and 41% did not refrigerate egg mixes properly.