The Telangana government on Wednesday banned raw egg-based mayonnaise due to food safety concerns, following several recent cases of mayonnaise-related food poisoning in the state. The order was issued a day later. One person died and 15 others fell ill. By eating momos in Hyderabad.
The ban went into effect on Wednesday and will last for a year, with authorities encouraging alternative mayonnaise preparations to improve food hygiene and protect public health.
According to food safety officials, several recent cases of contamination in the state have been traced to the use of egg-based mayonnaise, which is widely used in dishes such as sandwiches, momos, shawarma and alfahm chicken. It is made by mixing egg yolks with oil, often flavored with vinegar or lemon juice.
“According to observations during enforcement activities and complaints received from the public in the state of Telangana, mayonnaise made from raw eggs is suspected to be the cause of food poisoning in several incidents in the last few months,” said the Food Safety Commissioner of Telangana. Order
Citing the Food Safety Act that empowers authorities to take action. “In cases where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the food may pose a risk to human health,” the commissioner ordered. Ban on production, storage and sale of mayonnaise made from raw eggs for a period of one year with effect from 30.10.2024.
The government notification also states that the public will be made aware of potential health hazards associated with food products whenever there is reasonable cause for concern.
On Tuesday, a 31-year-old woman died after eating momos from a shop in Hyderabad, and fifteen others fell ill after eating the snack from other shops. Preliminary investigations have revealed that these vendors procured the momos from the same supplier. A few days ago, similar cases of food poisoning were reported at a shawarma outlet, prompting health authorities to raid shawarma and mandi (a biryani-like dish) outlets across the city.