Bakers are being urged to buy British after the dioxin egg scare, which forced Memory Lane Cakes and Kensey Foods products off the shelves.
The British Egg Industry Council wants food suppliers to specify British Lion eggs, as its code of practice ensures all raw materials are sourced from approved suppliers and are regularly checked, minimising the risk of contamination.
The two firms bought eggs from Germany that, according to the Food Standards Agency, "could contain levels of dioxins that are above the legal limits". These eggs were mixed with non-contaminated eggs to produce pasteurised liquid egg used in a range of short shelf-life cakes and quiches supplied to the major UK supermarkets.
Andrew Parker, chairman of the British Egg Industry Council, said: "While there have been several instances of dioxin contami-nation in eggs and egg products across the EU over the past decade, the requirements of the Lion Code have meant that there have been no such cases in British Lion eggs or egg products."
Kensey Foods said it received "a quantity of the batch of pasteurised liquid egg in December that may have been at risk of low level dioxin contamination". A spokeswoman added: "Kensey Foods is committed to purchasing as many of its raw materials as possible from within the UK. But during periods of peak production it is sometimes necessary to source goods from elsewhere."
Memory Lane Cakes owner Finsbury said in a statement: "Finsbury does not believe there will be any significant or lasting impact on the group given the limited volume of product affected."
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