Do raw eggs still pose a threat of salmonella poisoning?
Salmonella was in the news again this weekend when a million chocolate bars were removed from the shelves, though the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has yet to estalish whether the chocolate was contaminated. But according to the FSA, eggs do pose a risk of infection from the salmonella bacterium, which can cause serious illness, especially in the elderly, the very young, pregnant women and anyone who is already unwell. When I have ice cream made with eggs I don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 20 minutes, giving it enough time to soften but ensuring that food-poisoning bacteria such as staphylococci do not grow. The maximum time is half an hour. I use only eggs that have the British Lion quality mark, and part of its food safety practice is to ensure that all hens are vaccinated against salmonella. Of course, the hens being vaccinated doesn’t guarantee that the eggs won’t contain salmonella, but Kevin Coles, of the British Egg Information Service, says that they haven’t found
