Information correct as of 7th September 2026.
We don’t often find ourselves writing about eggs! But this week, there’s a very good reason to.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Food Standards Agency (FSA) are investigating an ongoing outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis in England, with evidence suggesting there may be a link to eggs imported into the UK and used by restaurants, cafés and other catering businesses.
As of 1 September, 528 confirmed cases had been identified across three outbreak clusters, with two deaths associated with the outbreaks, according to the UKHSA Salmonella outbreak update.
Before everybody panics and bins every egg in the building, there are a couple of important points.
So this isn’t about taking eggs off the menu, it is, however, a very good excuse to check where yours are coming from and whether the controls you have in place are actually working.
UKHSA is currently investigating three clusters of Salmonella Enteritis.
The largest includes 305 confirmed cases, with a further 182 and 41 cases in the other two clusters.
The three clusters are genetically distinct, but UKHSA says the available evidence suggests they could all be associated with imported eggs.
Cases have also been linked with eating at cafés, restaurants and takeaway businesses.
At this stage, imported eggs are still a potential link rather than a confirmed source.
That distinction is important.
Most of this will be familiar territory if you already run a decent food safety system.
The question is whether it is actually happening on site.
Because there is a BIG difference between having something written in a procedure and somebody actually doing it during a busy service.
Here are the areas worth checking.
Start with the supplier.
You should be able to establish:
The FSA advises caterers to use reputable suppliers and considers UK hen eggs from Salmonella-vaccinated flocks to be best practice.
Traceability is one of those things that feels slightly boring until there is a problem.
Then everybody suddenly wants the paperwork VERY quickly.
If you serve runny eggs, fresh mayonnaise, hollandaise, mousses or anything else involving raw or lightly cooked egg, have a look at exactly what you’re using.
Eggs produced under the British Lion Code and Laid in Britain assurance schemes are considered very low risk for Salmonella.
If you cannot verify that your eggs fall under one of those schemes, additional controls may be needed, particularly where vulnerable customers are involved.
That matters even more in healthcare, care, education and similar environments, where food-borne illness can have much more serious consequences.
This one sounds painfully obvious….
But deliveries get busy.
The driver arrives. Somebody signs for it. The boxes get put away. Everyone gets on with their day.
Eggs that are cracked, damaged or dirty should be rejected.
And the person receiving the delivery needs to know that.
There isn’t much point having a beautiful delivery procedure sitting in a folder if the person on shift has never seen it.
Salmonella can be present inside an egg or on the shell.
That means poor handling can spread contamination to hands, surfaces, equipment and other foods.
Teams should be washing their hands properly after handling eggs, shells and packaging, and surfaces and equipment should be cleaned and disinfected appropriately.
Eggs should be stored correctly and kept away from other foods where there is a risk of cross-contamination.
And don’t wash eggs before using them.
Egg shells have a natural protective coating and washing them can actually make it easier for bacteria on the outside to get through the shell.
Which does feel slightly backwards….
But there we are.
If your kitchen cracks several eggs together ready for later use, make sure that process is being managed properly.
Pooled liquid egg should be refrigerated, used as soon as possible and used within the same day.
Fresh eggs should not continually be added to an existing batch.
For dishes that will remain raw or only be lightly cooked, pasteurised egg products may also be worth considering.
At the moment, there is no evidence that UK-produced eggs are affected by this outbreak.
Existing FSA advice around British Lion eggs and eggs produced under the Laid in Britain scheme remains unchanged.
That doesn’t mean normal food hygiene controls can disappear, obviously.
Storage, handling, cleaning and cross-contamination controls still matter regardless of where the egg came from.
Salmonella commonly causes:
For most people it is an unpleasant illness that passes within a few days.
For some people, particularly young children, older people and those with weakened immune systems, it can become much more serious.
Any food handler experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms should follow the correct sickness reporting and exclusion procedures.
You cannot control every single thing that happens before an ingredient reaches your business.
You weren’t there when the egg was laid.
You weren’t there when it was packed.
And, unless somebody has a VERY varied job description, you probably weren’t driving the delivery van either.
What you can control is what happens when that product reaches you.
You can know who supplied it.
You can check it when it arrives.
You can store it properly.
You can make sure your teams understand how to handle it.
And, if something does go wrong, you can trace it quickly and work out which sites, kitchens or customers could be affected.
That is where good food safety management earns its keep.
The current outbreak is a useful reminder to have a look at those controls now rather than waiting until somebody asks you to prove they exist.
If you use eggs in your business, take ten minutes and check your supplier, your assurance scheme, your delivery process and the way your teams are handling them.
It is not the most exciting ten minutes you will spend this week….
But it might be one of the more useful ones.
If this outbreak has made you question your supplier controls, food safety procedures or how consistently things are being done across your sites, speak to the Mercury team.
We work with hospitality, healthcare, education and facilities businesses every day, helping teams keep on top of food safety and wider compliance.
And yes….
We are now apparently a company that writes articles about eggs.
Compliance. Handled.
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