What exactly are we eating?!

What exactly are we eating? How safe, really, are the foods we buy at the shops? Can we trust the food packaging? These are some of the questions that have crossed people's minds in recent days with the egg poison scandal sweeping through Europe.

On Monday 7th of August, 2017, it was reported in the news that 'A very small number of eggs contaminated with a toxic insecticide reached the UK earlier this year.' How small the number was; which shops sold the 'small number of contaminated eggs'; and exactly what happened were fuzzy details the government was not keen to be clear on! What seems clear is that the likes of supermarket chain, Aldi, withdrew all eggs from sale in its stores in Germany last week. 

Some of the eggs, which originated from the Netherlands, were also found in France and Belgium, where officials were forced to admit they had known about the problem since June. 

Fipronil can treat lice and ticks in chickens, but should not be used on food-producing animals because of its toxicity. Tests have shown that the chemical Fipronil, can harm kidneys, liver and thyroid glands when consumed by humans. 

The UK's Food Standards Agency say the risk to the public from these contaminated eggs is very low and the agency is "urgently investigating" the issue, but to the best of their knowledge, the affected products are no longer on shelves. The Agency says there is no need for people in Britain to avoid eating eggs and any potential exposure is unlikely to harm.