Eggs won’t cost more due to the poisoning scandal

Based on an interview with Attila Nagy, the deputy-manager of the National Food Chain Safety Office’s Food and Forage Safety Directorate, index.hu writes that a number of poisoned eggs on the European market doesn’t reach the level, where it would result in a price growth. However, the phenomenon could influence market processes.

It was reported last week that eggs contaminated with Fipronil pesticide were found in fifteen European countries, among others, in Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Romania. All of these eggs came from Dutch plantations.

The Fipronil pesticide is used in veterinary medicine to eradicate parasites, lice, fleas, and ticks. However, it is not used on animals intended for human consumption, because if it gets into the body in a big amount it can cause liver, thyroid and kidney damage.

The National Food Chain Safety Office added that the dangerousness of the contaminated egg also depends on the age and health condition of the consumer, and the amount of pesticide in the product. Essentially, only the consumption of an extreme amount of poisoned eggs could cause acute poisoning.