People in the Netherlands should temporarily avoid eating eggs, Dutch authorities said on Wednesday, after a poisonous insecticide was found in products from 17 more poultry operations.
The Deputy Director of the Dutch food safety agency recommended that people should avoid consuming eggs until Sunday, while inspectors look at eggs from 180 poultry operations that are currently shut down.
The agency said: “Eggs stamped with 27 codes have been designated as contaminated due to high levels of fipronil, which at heightened levels can cause damage to the liver, thyroid and kidneys.”
The poultry operations were customers of a Dutch company that had treated stalls with the delousing agent Dega-16.
The natural product made from menthol and eucalyptus had been mixed with the insecticide.
It’s unclear, however, when the fipronil was added.
Prosecutors said they are looking at a Belgian distributor and a Dutch cleaning operation.