VIENNA – Austria’s food safety agency says it has found the first instances of eggs contaminated with Fipronil in the country.
The AGES agency says eight of 80 samples tested nationwide yielded traces of the insecticide, with the highest level at 0.1 milligrams a kilogram. That’s below the EU limit of 0.72 milligrams a kilogram and AGES says the traces in Austria are 10 times lower than the highest concentration, found in Belgium.
AGES said Monday the insecticide was found in shipments of egg products for restaurant use from Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and Poland.
Experts say the risk of getting sick from eating an egg tainted with Fipronil is low. But the illegal use of the insecticide in spray to rid hens of ticks, fleas and lice has prompted European food safety agencies to issue warnings and recalls of possibly affected imports.
