Raw egg mayonnaise banned in Telangana after spike in food poisoning cases

On Wednesday, October 30, the Telangana government banned the use of mayonnaise prepared from raw eggs in the state after several cases of food poisoning linked to the consumption of the dip. The Commissioner for Food Safety has issued a notification banning the production, storage and sale of mayonnaise prepared from raw eggs in the state for a period of one year with immediate effect from October 30.

The official said that based on observations made during enforcement activities and complaints received from the public, it is suspected that mayonnaise made from raw eggs has been the cause of food poisoning in a number of cases that have occurred over the past few months. Mayonnaise is used for shawarma, sandwiches, cream sauce or dressing. If mayonnaise is stored without proper pasteurization, salmonella bacteria will develop in it. Salmonella bacteria can affect the gastrointestinal tract when ingested.

The Commissioner for Food Safety has issued a notification in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-section (2) of section 30 of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and in the interest of public health to prohibit the manufacture, storage and sale of mayonnaise prepared from raw eggs.

The action taken by the Food Safety Commissioner came on the recommendation of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The civic authorities have received a series of complaints regarding the use of Mayo in various dishes in hotels in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Inspections by officials also found that some leading hotels, pubs, bars and restaurants were using substandard mayonnaise. At least 10 cases of food poisoning have been reported in recent months due to the use of egg-based mayonnaise. A 33-year-old woman died and 20 others succumbed to food poisoning after eating momos served by street vendors in Hyderabad last week.

Earlier, in January 2023, the Kerala Health Department had issued a similar ban on mayonnaise made from raw eggs after food inspections revealed that mayonnaise made from raw eggs was found to be very dangerous if not used in time. A meeting was held with representatives of organizations from the hotel, restaurant, bakery, street and catering industries, who fully supported the ban on the use of mayonnaise made from raw eggs. It was decided that vegetable or pasteurized mayonnaise could be used instead.

33-year-old nurse Reshmi died in Kerala after allegedly suffering symptoms of food poisoning. She ate kuzhimanthi and al faham at the restaurant. Moreover, more than 20 other people also fell ill after consuming kuzhimanthi and al faham at the restaurant.