Cake mix among 26 products recalled over egg contamination

Cake mixes used by caterers, cafes, pubs, restaurants and hotels have been recalled as result of the European egg contamination scandal.

The products are among 26 identified by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on Thursday that are being withdrawn because they contain traces of the pesticide Fiprinol.

This is on top of 40 products previously recalled in the UK since evidence of the contamination, which began on farms in Holland and Belgium, emerged a month ago.

Most of the products named yesterday are used in the catering trade to make cakes and other dishes such as quiches and pastries.

They include several cake mixes – a sponge mix, Madeira cake, and chocolate sponge – sold by the AB Mauri company, which is part of Associated British Foods.

Also on the list are batches of Pistachio Olive Oil Cake sold by a catering supplier called Classic Cuisine.

Cartons of liquid egg white and liquid egg yolk sold by several suppliers under the Cocovite brand have also been recalled.

The chemical at the centre of the contamination alert is used in flea powder and to kill ants, wasps and cockroaches.

It appears to have got into eggs after being used to try and clear red mite infestations of chickens on some 180 farms in Holland. 

The contamination could have been going on for more than six months before it was identified.

Cartons of liquid egg white and liquid egg yolk sold by several suppliers under the Cocovite brand have been recalled

Police in the Netherlands have arrested two men in connection with the illegal use of the chemical

Many of the eggs and products they have been used in will have been eaten by Britons over the past few months.

The FSA insisted the decision to order the recall is ‘not due to food safety concerns’. Instead, it said this is because Fipronil is not approved to be used in food producing animals.

British farmers and egg processors have criticised supermarkets, manufacturers and caterers in this country for using cheap foreign eggs rather than British eggs.

Despite the fact Britain’s farmers carry no responsibility for the food recall, sales of their fresh eggs have fallen in the past few weeks.