Post by Focus on Aug 18, 2013 4:10:26 GMT
MPs were at the centre of a new food scare last night after the Commons banned traditional scrambled eggs and omelettes – because they are ‘too dangerous’.
Chefs at the House of Commons are now forbidden to make two of the most popular light meals in Britain with fresh eggs on the grounds that they could be contaminated with salmonella or other bugs.
MPs at Westminster can still order scrambled egg or omelette, but they will be made with liquid pasteurized egg from Holland instead.
Replaced : MPs will still be able to order scrambled eggs for breakfast but only ones made from liquid eggs imported from Holland
One MP said: ‘Whatever they are made with, they taste disgusting.’
And Tory MP Nicholas Soames, grandson of wartime leader Winston Churchill, is understood to have called the decision ‘absurd’.
Politicians with a sweet tooth have also been affected because mousses made from fresh eggs have been removed from the dessert menu.
Some MPs have backed the move, claiming it is a ‘sensible precaution’, but others say the ruling risks a new outbreak of the panic that led to the resignation of Edwina Currie as Conservative Health Minister in 1988.
She was forced to quit after saying: ‘Most of the egg production in this country, sadly, is now affected with salmonella.’
Not impressed : MP Nicholas Soames, grandson of wartime leader Winston Churchill, is understood to have branded the decision 'absurd'
It provoked fury among farmers and egg producers, and led to a slump in sales.
One MP warned: ‘If MPs cannot or will not eat scrambled eggs or omelette because they are a health risk, members of the public may say, "If it is too dangerous for MPs, it must be too dangerous for us."'
Another of the MPs hoping to enjoy the traditional snack said: ‘It all started in the Tearoom when staff told us they were now made with powdered egg, not fresh eggs.
‘They said it was all to do with health and safety. There was a lot of anger.’
Mr Soames protested at the decision at a meeting of the Commons Administration Committee that is responsible for Commons catering.
An MP who was also at the meeting said: ‘Nick said that in all his years as an MP, this was the most absurd catering decision he had ever heard. He said we were being treated like children.’
A Commons spokeswoman said: ‘Dishes such as scrambled eggs, mousses or omelettes which do not reach a core temperature of 75 degrees Celsius are now made using pasteurized liquid egg, rather than fresh eggs. This is in line with Food Standard Agency advice.’
But last night the food watchdog denied it supported a ban on scrambled egg and omelettes made with fresh eggs.
A spokeswoman said: ‘There is no requirement or guidance for caterers to use liquid egg rather than fresh eggs where the egg is to be fully cooked.
‘For vulnerable groups such as the elderly, infants under five or expectant mums, there is guidance that caterers could use pasteurized egg in any food that will not be cooked or only lightly cooked, such as mayonnaise.’
Old controversy : The row echoes the comments made by former Conservative Health Minster Edwina Currie who was forced to resign in 1988 after telling the public that much of British egg production was affected by salmonella
The traditional way of cooking scrambled eggs is to use a moderate heat. If the temperature is too hot, the eggs can become rubbery.
TV cook Delia Smith says the only rule with scrambled eggs is to use a medium heat. ‘If the heat is too high, the eggs will become dry and flaky,’ she said.
Labour MP Thomas Docherty, vice-chairman of the Commons Administration Committee, last night demanded an inquiry into the ban. He said: ‘I have asked managers to find out who took this ridiculous decision.’
Scrambled eggs and omelettes are not the only prohibited dishes. MPs can order only well-done burgers – those cooked medium-rare or medium are banned on the grounds that the meat can contain dangerous pathogens if not cooked properly.
The FSA confirmed that the Commons’ policy on burgers was in line with its guidance.
‘Burgers and sausages are made from meat that has been minced, so germs will be spread throughout the product and not just on the surface.
This means these products need to be properly cooked all the way through,’ said a spokeswoman.
FFS - you couldn't make it up ... More pandering and pampering of these fcking moronic MPs egos, never mind scrambled egg you 'soft' t..ts, do your jobs and get our country out of the sorry fcking mess that it's in!! - Fx
