Advice issued for caterers on handling eggs safely

The Food Standards Agency has published online advice on the safe use of eggs in catering.

The guidance covers handling, storing and cooking eggs, using pasteurised egg, and catering for vulnerable groups. It also gives tips on 'pooling' eggs, where caterers break lots of eggs into a bowl and use the mix throughout the day.

Eggs may contain salmonella bacteria inside or on their shells, so it is very important for caterers to prevent bacteria spreading from eggs onto other foods, hands, work surfaces or utensils, and also to cook them properly so that any bacteria are killed.

Pooling eggs is a common practice in catering and it's important for caterers to be careful how they handle pooled eggs. They should avoid keeping large amounts of pooled liquid egg at room temperature – instead they should cover it, store it in the fridge and take out a small amount as and when needed.

Ideally, pooled liquid egg should be used on the same day, so caterers should only break the eggs they will need for the day and avoid storing the liquid egg for more than 24 hours. It's also important never to add new eggs to a batch of liquid egg – they should use one batch up and then start another.

Words: Clare Riley

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