Anyone cooking soft, runny eggs is being urged to check one important symbol before eating. Here’s everything you need to know about the British Lion mark on eggs
Anyone preparing soft, runny eggs is advised to look for one crucial symbol before tucking in.
Eggs displaying a British Lion mark guarantee they’ve been laid by hens immunised against Salmonella and produced to the most rigorous food safety standards. This red logo should appear on the shell itself, plus on the carton next to the use-by date.
It’s particularly vital that pregnant women, the elderly and other at-risk groups, including babies and youngsters, only consume runny eggs bearing this marking. It comes after a doctor’s warning to people who drink even a ‘single cup of tea’.
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Thoroughly cooking eggs, such as hard-boiling them, destroys any Salmonella germs that might be lurking, but lightly boiled eggs with gooey yolks that aren’t completely cooked can still contain Salmonella.
Therefore, people are being told to only eat runny eggs produced under the Lion Code standards with a British Lion stamp, as these have been protected against Salmonella through vaccination.
If an egg lacks this marking, it is recommended that those with compromised immune systems who face greater infection risks and could experience more severe food poisoning symptoms only consume fully cooked eggs, reports the Express.
Food Standards Scotland states: “People who are in good health (those who are not vulnerable to infection) are unlikely to experience food poisoning through consuming UK hen eggs. Therefore, people in this group can eat raw or soft-boiled UK hen eggs, or foods containing lightly cooked UK hen eggs.
“People who are more vulnerable to infection or who are likely to suffer more serious symptoms from food poisoning need to be more careful. This includes young children, pregnant women and elderly people.
“People in these groups can eat raw or lightly cooked UK hen eggs or foods containing them as long as the eggs are produced under the Lion Code with a British Lion mark or under the Laid in Britain egg assurance scheme. Dishes or food made with raw/lightly cooked eggs include mayonnaise, soufflé and tiramisu for example.
“If the eggs are not Lion Code or Laid in Britain, or if in doubt, people who may be more vulnerable to infection are advised to eat eggs thoroughly cooked.”
Almost 90% of eggs in the UK are now produced within the Lion scheme, with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) updating its advice following a review in 2016. This means anyone, including pregnant women, babies, and the elderly, can now enjoy dippy eggs safely, provided they have the British Lion mark on them.
Following the change in advice, Heather Hancock, Chairman of the Food Standards Agency said: “It’s 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.”
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