Everything you need to know about Fipronil – the pesticide behind the egg contamination scandal
Around 700,000 eggs from Dutch farms implicated have come to Britain.
Four supermarkets have taken products off their shelves in the wake of the egg contamination scare – as the Food Standards Agency says the scale of the problem is higher than previously thought.
Around 700,000 eggs from Dutch farms implicated in the Fipronil scare have been distributed to Britain, rather than the 21,000 first estimated, the watchdog said.
In response, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose and Asda have withdrawn a total of 11 products – including sandwiches, sandwich fillers and salads – from sale.
Here’s everything you need to know about the pesticide.
What is Fipronil?
What are the effects of consuming Fipronil?
Adverse effects include sweating, nausea, vomiting, headache, stomach pain, dizziness, weakness and seizures, according to the US National Pesticide Information Centre.
How did the contamination start?
How widespread is the problem?
The Food Standards Agency said the 700,000 potentially infected eggs imported to the UK represent 0.007% of the eggs consumed in the UK every year and it was “very unlikely” there is any risk to public health from consuming these foods.
What’s happening in other European countries?
Luxembourg said it had recieved eggs from a Belgian producer which were found to contain Fipronil while in Romania, 1,000 kilograms of eggs will be incinerated.
