Eggs safe, claims linking them to cancer risk 'misleading': FSSAI

Generalising isolated laboratory findings to label eggs as unsafe is scientifically incorrect, says the food regulator in its clarification

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Saturday categorically stated that eggs available in the country are safe for human consumption, terming recent claims of cancer-causing agent in them as “misleading”. 

 

The food safety regulator said that recent claims linking eggs to cancer risk "are misleading, scientifically unsupported and capable of creating unnecessary public alarm”.

 

Recently social media channels claimed to have detected traces of AOZ (Amino-Oxazolidinone) in the eggs sold by a popular brand, which is linked to nitrofuran antibiotics that are banned for use in India.

 

Responding to these, FSSAI officials, in a release, clarified that the use of nitrofurans is strictly prohibited at all stages of production of poultry and eggs under the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011.

   

According to the regulator, an Extraneous Maximum Residue Limit (EMRL) of 1.0 µg/kg has been prescribed for nitrofuran metabolites solely for regulatory enforcement purposes. This limit, it added, represents the minimum level that can be reliably detected by advanced laboratory methods and does not indicate that the substance is permitted for use. 

 

“Detection of trace residues below the EMRL does not constitute a food safety violation nor does it imply any health risk,” an official said.

 

FSSAI further emphasised that India’s regulatory framework is aligned with international practices. The European Union and the United States also prohibit the use of nitrofurans in food-producing animals. 

 

Addressing reports related to the testing of a specific egg brand, officials explained that such detections are isolated and batch-specific, often arising from inadvertent contamination or feed-related factors, and are not representative of the overall egg supply chain in the country. 

 

“Generalising isolated laboratory findings to label eggs as unsafe is scientifically incorrect,” the clarification stated.