Hungary Finds Eggs Contaminated With Fipronil

The Hungarian food safety watchdog has found traces of hazardous insecticide fipronil in eggs and egg products delivered to the country from Germany and Poland, local media reported Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The National Food Chain Safety Office (NEBIH) said that though the amount of fipronil detected in the products does not pose a health risk, the contaminated products will be recalled, Hungary Today publication reported.

The watchdog added that Hungarian authorities were also informed by the European Union’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) of the fipronil content in the Tamago Ei-Omelett-Block deep-frozen semi-finished product, which had been imported from Germany by the Hungarian food sales company Azsia Gastro Elelmiszer.

Millions of chicken eggs have been recalled in past weeks from shelves in European stores over fears that they might have been contaminated with fipronil. On Friday, the European Commission said eggs with fipronil had been detected in 15 European Union member states, as well as in Switzerland and Hong Kong. Suspected farms have been blocked in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France after being identified to have received treatment with product containing fipronil.

Fipronil is a broad-spectrum insecticide used to treat lice, fleas and ticks, and in large quantities, it can cause liver, kidney and thyroid gland damage. The chemical is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be a moderately hazardous substance, and its use is illegal in the production of food for human consumption in Europe.