June 23, 2009

 

Poor egg handling practices in restaurants and takeaways could harm the wellbeing of UK consumers, according to a new study from the Health Protection Agency and the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS).

 

Councils across the UK collected hundreds of egg mix samples from restaurants, takeaways, bakeries, cafes and sandwich bars, along with information on hygiene practices.

 

Only 0.13 percent of the egg mix samples were found contaminated with salmonella, but 14 percent of takeaways were unaware of important food safety practices for the use of egg mixes. The study revealed that 43 percent of staff did not wash and dry hands after handling eggs and egg mixes and 41 percent did not refrigerate egg mixes properly.

 

The study also showed that 40 percent of caterers did not use designated utensils when handling egg mixes; 17 percent did not clean surfaces and utensils thoroughly after they had been used with egg mixes.

 

Dr Jim McLauchlin, Director of the Food, Water and Environmental Microbiology Service of the Health Protection Agency, noted there are numerous risk factors involved in mixing and pooling large volumes of eggs by the catering industry that can lead to food poisoning.

 

Just one egg contaminated with salmonella can contaminate a whole batch and the risk of infection is increased if it is stored in a warm kitchen environment. Therefore it is extremely important that caterers establish and maintain a food safety management system, McLauchlin said.