Salmonella is the most common type of bacteria associated with foodborne illness outbreaks in Australia.
Mishandling of eggs and egg-based products are a significant contributor to foodborne illness in Australia, and in NSW.
The pathogen Salmonella is known to be present on the surfaces of eggs and improper handling can lead to raw egg products becoming contaminated.
There are a number of factors that contribute to the strong association between foodborne illness outbreaks caused by Salmonella and food that is sold which contains raw egg. These include: Contamination of egg contents by Salmonella from the shell
Failure to process (through acidification or heat) raw egg foods sufficiently to remove any Salmonella risk
Failure to clean and sanitise equipment and food contact surface
Temperature abuse (i.e. storage above 5°C), and
Keeping beyond recommended storage life (maximum 24 hours) at refrigerated temperature
The practice of pooling eggs to produce a raw egg food significantly increases the likelihood of Salmonella contamination into a product which does not receive any further cooking or treatment to kill off harmful bacteria.
Many large outbreaks of Salmonella food poisoning have occurred in NSW and nationally as a result of raw egg
foods, particularly where business hygiene and temperature control issues were apparent.
The raw egg products that are most commonly implicated in Salmonella food poisoning include:
Sauces and spreads made with raw egg – e.g. mayonnaise, aioli, egg butter
Desserts made without an effective cook step – e.g. tiramisu, mousse, fried ice cream
Drinks containing raw egg – e.g. egg flip, raw egg high protein smoothies.
The easiest solution to reducing the risk of your retail food business being implicated in a foodborne illness outbreak caused by Salmonella is to avoid selling food containing raw egg.
The purpose of these guidelines is to give food retail businesses that sell food containing raw egg specific safety steps for its preparation and clear guidance and advice on how to meet food safety regulations. These businesses are strongly advised to follow this guidance document.
All food businesses need to meet the requirements of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (Food
Standards Code) to ensure they follow safe handling practices. In order to protect customers from the risk of foodborne illness, businesses need to comply with Standard 3.2.2, Division 3, Clause 7 (see page 4) to ensure that only safe and suitable food is processed.
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