A CONTAMINATION scare has meant that egg products in supermarkets, including Waitrose, have been taken off the shelves.

About 700,000 eggs have been sent to the UK from potentially contaminated Dutch farms, up from an early estimate of 21,000, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said. 

Shell eggs in the UK, however, are not affected as the Dutch eggs were only used in prepared foods sold in the UK, like sandwich fillings or chilled salads.

FSA said the risk to public health was very low as the harmful chemical, fipronil, would be diluted as it was mixed with other eggs.

11 products containing egg - including sandwiches and salads - have been withdrawn from supermarkets in the UK.

In Waitrose, which has stores in Cirencester and Malmesbury, three versions of free range 'deli fillers' which contain eggs were recalled.

The FSA said their decision to withdraw the products was not due to food safety concerns but based on the fact that the pesticide is banned in food production.

It is thought that fipronil was added to disinfectant used on some chicken farms.

The withdrawn egg products are:

  • Sainsbury's ham and egg salad (240g) use by 9-14 August 2017
  • Sainsbury's potato and egg salad (300g) use by 9-14 August
  • Morrisons potato and egg salad (250g) use by up to 13 August
  • Morrisons egg and cress sandwich (sold in Morrisons Cafe only) use by up to and including 11 August
  • Morrisons cafe sandwich selection (sold in Morrisons Cafe only) use by up to and including 11 August
  • Waitrose free range egg mayonnaise deli filler (240g) use by 13 and 16 August
  • Waitrose free range reduced fat egg mayonnaise deli filler (170g) use by 14 August
  • Waitrose free range egg and bacon deli filler (170g) use by 14 and 16 August
  • Asda baby potato and free range egg salad (270g) use by 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 August
  • Asda spinach and free range egg snack pot (110g) use by 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 August
  • Asda FTG ham and cheddar ploughman's salad bowl (320g) use by 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 August

The decision by FSA to withdraw the egg products follows an investigation by Dutch and Belgian police of several premises thought to be using fipronil.

More than 100 poultry farms have been closed, and 26 suspects have been identified.