KUALA LUMPUR – The producer of eggs in Jeram, Selangor, found to contain salmonella enteritidis (SE) has vowed to cooperate with authorities to resolve the issue, following Singapore’s detection of the foodborne illness in its products.
Lay Hong Berhad, which produces the eggs under the Nutriplus brand, said it is offering full cooperation and compliance with Malaysia’s Veterinary Services Department (DVS) to formulate plans and strengthen farm control practices and monitoring.
This comes after eggs exported to Singapore from one of its farms in Jeram were found to have contained the bacteria which causes illness if consumed raw or undercooked.
“Our priority is the safety of our customers. We are currently working closely with the Veterinary Services Department to investigate and monitor the alleged farm,” Lay Hong Berhad executive director Datuk Yap Chor How said in a statement.
On Thursday, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) instructed four importers to recall eggs from Lay Hong, saying it will lift the suspension only when the farm has rectified the SE contamination.
The agency said as SE can be destroyed by heat, eggs are safe to consume if they are cooked thoroughly. It said symptoms of infection include diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, nausea and vomiting.
Earlier today, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the state government is monitoring the situation closely as it involves trade between the countries.
The company said it has agreed to suspend its Jeram 1 farm – which primarily exports its eggs to Singapore – from supplying to both domestic and export markets pending the outcome of a probe by DVS.
Lay Hong also assured that no eggs will be sold from the Jeram 1 farm and that the supply of eggs from there would only resume once the investigation is completed.
It said its other farms in the sub-district, Jeram farms 2 to 6, had tested negative for Salmonella.
Lay Hong said the other farms are divided into smaller satellite farms and separated from one another physically despite being in the same area.
“Each of these satellite farms has its functioning feeding and grading equipment to mitigate cross-contamination between farms. All of these mitigating factors have been in place for years to ensure our supply of eggs is not entirely disrupted if one of our farms is affected by contamination,” Yap said.
“This preparation has enabled us to continue to supply our eggs from other farms responsibly to our customers.” – The Vibes, March 14, 2021.
