Butchers warned against egg displays

Butchers across the UK are being warned not to display eggs in their shop windows due to the chance they might be unwittingly making eggs expire faster or encouraging the growth of salmonella.

The British Egg Industry Council issued the warning this week citing recent high summer temperatures and eggs being kept in direct sunlight as issues in maintaining egg quality in stores.

“While we appreciate that it looks nice to have eggs in the window, this is not a good idea, particularly in hot temperatures. It is good practice to store eggs at a consistent temperature below 20C,” said Andrew Parker, British Egg Industry Council chairman.

The BEIC also reccomended people choose British Lion eggs which are tested rigorously for salmonella and passed with flying colours during the most recent Food Standards Agency tests.

Also all British Lion eggs come from hens vaccinated against salmonella and are date stamped for freshness.

“It is essential for the protection of customers that butchers take all reasonable steps to control salmonella. Storing eggs in direct sunlight can create conditions inside eggs that are ideal for salmonella to grow if it is present,” said Tom Humphrey, professor of food safety at the University of Liverpool.

“This is especially important with eggs from hens that have not been vaccinated against salmonella.”