December 20, 2007

Egg-sourced salmonella strikes 12 people in Sweden

After eating infected eggs imported from Poland, twelve people in the Gavle region, Sweden, have contracted salmonella.

According to the National Food Administration, the victims were believed to have eaten mayonnaise made with Polish eggs. The same batch of eggs has also been sold in Sollentuna, Botkyrka and Stockholm, it said.

Because of the incident, Sweden now needs a certificate from Poland for egg exports to prove the batch is not infected with the bacteria. The certificates that were obtained by wholesalers at Arstahallarna in Stockholm -- the suspects in salmonella-laden egg --supplied false information.

Although health boards in Gävle and Stockholm have started to investigate the matter, experts believe it will be difficult to detect which wholesaler missed the error.

According to Pontus Elvingsson, food administration inspector, there have been three or four operators were also involved in tainted egg trade, however it is still difficult to trace as trading is done discreetly in the markets.

Elvingsson hopes to immediately resolve the problem to avoid similar incidents.