§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has made an assessment of the implications for salmonella contamination levels of the inclusion of microparticulated egg milk protein as a replacement for raw egg in mayonnaise; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanI assume that the microparticulated egg milk protein referred to is the product Simplesse recently approved for use in frozen desserts by the USA Food and Drug Administration.
In the United Kingdom, food regulations require commercially prepared salad cream and mayonnaise to contain at least 1.3 per cent. egg yolk solids derived from pasteurised egg product. The microparticulated egg milk protein does not contain any egg yolk and could not be used to replace eggs in salad cream or mayonnaise. Therefore, there are no implications for salmonella contamination levels.