Healthcare professionals, nutrition specialists and health media are being asked to ensure that current advice surrounding eggs and Salmonella accurately reflects Food Standards Agency guidance.
Following widespread coverage of the current Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak, much of the subsequent advice has focused exclusively on British Lion eggs.
However, the FSA's current guidance explicitly recognises two schemes – British Lion and Laid in Britain.
Updated on 21 August 2026, the FSA advises that young children, pregnant people, older people and people with underlying health conditions can safely eat raw or lightly cooked hen eggs, or foods containing them, if they carry the British Lion mark or are produced under the Laid in Britain egg assurance scheme. This does not apply to people who are severely immunocompromised and require medically supervised diets.
Read the FSA's current egg safety guidance
Laid in Britain (LIB) is the food safety and hen welfare assurance scheme operated by the United Kingdom Egg Producers Association, providing an assurance route for independent British egg producers.
LIB operates a multi-layered approach to Salmonella control incorporating vaccination, competitive exclusion, stringent biosecurity, HACCP-based procedures, independent auditing and full traceability back to farm.
The scheme reports that no Laid in Britain scheme egg has tested positive for Salmonella since official testing began.
Rob Gauld of the United Kingdom Egg Producers Association said:
“Our concern is simply that consumers and healthcare professionals receive the complete information. The FSA's advice recognises both British Lion and Laid in Britain assured eggs.
“We would therefore ask healthcare organisations, medical publications and anyone providing advice to vulnerable groups to ensure that Laid in Britain is included whenever the FSA guidance is communicated.”
The FSA's advice is particularly relevant to professionals advising pregnant women, parents of young children, older people and people living with underlying health conditions.
UKEP is therefore asking healthcare and nutrition organisations to review their current egg-safety information and ensure that it accurately reflects the latest FSA wording.
