700,000 contaminated eggs now imported to UK as supermarkets withdraw affected products

Sandwiches and salads made from eggs contaminated with toxin Fipronil have been withdrawn from UK supermarket shelves, as Scotland's food standards watchdog revealed that more contaminated eggs have been imported into Britain than was previously believed.

700,000 eggs contaminated with toxic chemical have been imported to the UK , FSS says.

Food Standards Scotland said that it is likely that the number of eggs that have come to the UK is closer to 700,000 than the 21,000 previously reported and warned that some products using the affected eggs were still within sell by date and are only now being withdrawn from shops.

Millions of eggs have been recalled in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany after they were found to contain the toxic insecticide which can cause damage to the liver, thyroid glands and kidneys if ingested in large amounts. Fipronil is an insecticide used in veterinary products for getting rid of fleas, ticks and lice on animals, but should not be used around animals which are for food consumption.

Pre-prepared products affected including sandwiches and salads from Waitrose, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Asda.

The announcement came as Belgian authorities admitted test results revealed a level of the chemical in eggs that would pose a risk to human health.

A spokesman for FSS said: "Although some of the products such as sandwich fillings or other chilled products made from these eggs had a short shelf life and will have already been eaten, we have identified some that are still within the expiry date. These are now being withdrawn by the businesses involved.

"85 per cent of the eggs we consume in the UK are laid here. We have no evidence that eggs laid in Scotland are contaminated or that Fipronil has been used inappropriately in Scotland. Testing of eggs in Scotland is underway and results will be published as soon as they are available."