Last month saw a major Salmonella outbreak affect hundreds of Brits, resulting in two fatalities.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), alongside the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and other public health partners, is continuing to investigate three clusters of Salmonella Enteritidis (t5.9411, t5.9765 and t0.24068), with evidence pointing towards imported eggs.
Fewer cases have been reported over recent weeks but continue to be linked with a range of food outlets, including small cafes, restaurants and takeaways.
This outbreak comes against a backdrop of rising Salmonella rates. New data published by the UK Health Security Agency shows cases in England rose from 10,389 in 2024 and to 10,406 in 2025 – the highest figure in a decade.
While there have been significant improvements in egg safety over recent decades and risk remains low, egg and egg products are the most commonly reported food vehicle in Salmonella outbreaks, according to a risk profile published in 2023 by the FSA.
The report shows there have been several persistent outbreaks of Salmonella linked to exposure to UK produced eggs since 2017. However, the largest outbreaks, in 2009 (489 cases), 2011 (263 cases) and 2014 (100 cases), were linked to imported eggs.
Due to the risk of Salmonella, the government recommends purchasing UK eggs. The FSA considers eggs produced under the British Lion Code and Laid in Britain assurance schemes to present a “very low risk” of Salmonella.
The birth of Lion Eggs
For many, this latest outbreak underscores the importance of the British Lion Egg scheme. This was developed following a national egg crisis in the 1980s which saw sales suddenly plummet – a result of comments made by then junior health minister Edwina Currie over egg safety.
Faced with a crisis, the industry put together a solution – a code of practice that led to the British Lion Egg scheme.
This included a full-scale transformation of egg production, including:
- Vaccination of laying hens against Salmonella
- Strict hygiene and biosecurity standards
- Traceability from farm to shelf
- Regular audits and updates to safety protocols
Within two years of the Lion Code of Practice launching in 1998, human cases of Salmonella reduced dramatically. It is considered one of the UK’s biggest food safety success stories with more than 90% of UK eggs now carrying the Lion mark.
These producers are audited and subject to rigorous checking to maintain the Lion standards and give confidence to everyone.
Dr Lisa Ackerley, chartered environmental health practitioner
Lessons from the 2026 Salmonella outbreak
This latest outbreak has prompted many to highlight the UK’s high food standards, with reference to the domestic eggs that carry the Lion mark.
“For me the outbreak re-enforces the fact that imported eggs carry a risk of being contaminated with Salmonella,” food safety expert and chartered environmental health practitioner, Dr Lisa Ackerley, told Food Manufacture.
“No other country has such a rigorous system for controlling the safety of eggs, mainly through the British Lion scheme. Where businesses buy imported eggs, probably for financial reasons as they are cheaper, they put people at risk, unless these eggs are thoroughly cooked. Government advice is for caterers to buy only eggs from the British Lion or Laid in Britain scheme.”
Many agree that the British Lion Egg scheme is a model from which other countries can learn (…just as the UK could from schemes elsewhere across Europe!) And many UK-based experts are firm in the belief that the Lion Code of Practice should be implemented far and wide.
But to get to that point would be tricky.
Most countries would agree that the objective is to have safe food and good traceability, but most countries also already have trusted national schemes and assurance traditions.
That broader question of collaboration versus a national approach was highlighted by one food safety expert, who wished to remain anonymous.
They noted that there is a tendency to talk about ‘the UK and Europe’ as though they are separate entities, despite the fact that they’re in the same continent.
“I’ve always found it strange when people in the UK, frame discussions as ‘the UK versus Europe’, ‘us VS them’,” they said. “The UK is geographically part of Europe, and this is a fact unless the tectonic plates move!
“Food safety challenges such as Salmonella do not stop at borders, so there is a strong case for cooperation, learning from one another and alignment wherever possible.”
They argued that the goal shouldn’t be “British exceptionalism, but European excellence”; with conversations around food safety needing to take place at a European level.
“No country has a monopoly on good ideas,” they added. “The best outcomes come from sharing knowledge, learning from one another, and adopting best practice wherever it is found.”
The upcoming SPS agreement has the potential to move the dial on this significantly. For eggs, potential benefits include easier trade, better information sharing, closer regulatory cooperation and information sharing. Also, more opportunities to align the standards.
“Hopefully it will give way to conditions where cooperation becomes easier and regulatory alignment becomes more practical,” the technical spokesperson concluded.
While Lion Eggs remains a highly effective safeguard against Salmonella and many agree the replication of its approach would serve the global food system well, it’s important to note that risk cannot be excluded.
No egg can be guaranteed to be free from Salmonella, whatever the source or brand. As the 2023 FSA report notes that at least two outbreaks involving more than 100 cases can be linked back with UK Lion Code eggs since 2016.
The most important lesson, then? That good hygiene and food handling practices should always be followed.
