Fipronil in eggs: Eight cake mix products recalled

Cake mixes containing the contaminated eggs were recalled on August 31. It remained unlikely that there was any risk to public health, the FSA said.

“As fipronil is not authorised for use in food producing animals, we continue to track down implicated food products and ensure that they are removed from sale where they breach the limit,” an FSA statement said.

‘Investigations are ongoing’

“There is no need to change how you buy or consume eggs. Investigations are ongoing, and we will continue to publish updates on a regular basis.”

The latest products recalled included cake mixes from Bako, Domson and Cuisine de France. All of the products are used in the catering sector, the FSA said.

The FSA continued to probe the distribution of contaminated eggs from Dutch farms. Investigations were ongoing, and as a precaution, it would continue testing UK-laid eggs for any sign of fipronil.

The latest recalls came after the FSA issued fresh guidelines to guard against the risk of imported eggs contamination. Products will be removed from supermarket shelves if the final product contains more than 15% of the implicated eggs, the food safety watchdog added.

Compliancy with the EU

Food businesses must comply with the guideline, or show that any egg-based ingredients used were compliant with the EU’s maximum residue level for fipronil.

Since August 10, 39 products have been recalled in total. They included food-to-go products, liquid eggs and cake mixes. See the box below for a full list of recalled products, including the eight most recent ones.

Meanwhile, on August 23, consultancy firm Adjuno claimed the fipronil egg scandal could have been avoided. It said companies needed to have full visibility of their supply chains, so that red flags were less likely to be missed.