Telangana bans mayonnaise made with raw eggs to curb food poisoning

Telangana has banned the preparation of mayonnaise using raw eggs for a year after the condiment was suspected to have caused multiple food poisoning cases in the past few months.

The Commissioner of Food Safety imposed the ban, with immediate effect, from October 30.

The Commissioner said in a notification that the production, storage, and sale of mayonnaise made with raw eggs was prohibited in the interest of public health.

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Mayonnaise under scanner

Mayonnaise — a common condiment used as salad dressing or served with sandwiches, fries, and other snacks — is made by blending egg yolk with oil along with additional flavouring agents.

The decision to ban it was reportedly taken during a review meeting held by Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha with the food safety department, which suggested, based on complaints received from the public and observations made by officials during enforcement that mayonnaise made with raw eggs could be a cause for food poisoning.

Kerala’s ban

The department officials cited the example of Kerala, which has clamped a ban on mayonnaise following several food poisoning cases.

Yet another case of food poisoning was reported in the state on Wednesday (October 30), when a woman died and 40 had to be hospitalised after eating momos in Hyderabad. Six street vendors were arrested in connection with the deaths. However, it is unlikely that mayonnaise caused these deaths because it is not usually served with momos.