Households told to check eggs for 8-digit code on eggs to avoid salmonella

It's a little 8-digit code that should be printed on every egg in the UK in a bid to prevent the spread of salmonella.

Along with the red British Lion mark, households are being urged to check every egg to make sure it contains an eight-digit code that means it's safe to eat. And if it's missing this information, it might not be.

Salmonella is a type of food poisoning that causes fever, stomach pains and severe diarrhoea and still killed 33 people in a year in the UK at the last count and is especially a risk to those with compromised immune systems or the elderly.

The British Lion is the UK's answer to preventing salmonella in eggs.

Egg Info explains: "The British Lion is the UK's most successful food safety scheme. Over 90% of UK eggs are now produced under the British Lion scheme and more than 200 billion British Lion eggs have been sold since its launch in 1998.

"The British Lion scheme has been responsible for a drastic reduction to the presence of salmonella in UK eggs and the Food Standards Agency has recently confirmed that they are approved to be consumed runny, or even raw, by vulnerable groups.

"All eggs that carry the British Lion mark have been produced under the stringent requirements of the British Lion Code of Practice which ensures the highest standards of food safety. The code covers the entire production chain and ensures strict food safety controls including the guarantee that all hens are vaccinated against salmonella and a 'passport' system ensuring that all hens, eggs and feed are fully traceable."

To check your egg is safe to eat, look for the Red Lion symbol, along with the eight digit code. The code means:

Number 0-3: Farming method. 0 = organic, 1 = free range, 2 = barn, 3 = cage

Next is country of origin, e.g. UK

Then the next five digits are the farm code, i.e. 54321, which tells you which farm the eggs came from.

Below that is the standard best before date - BB 15APR for example. It's worth bearing in mind you can still eat eggs past their 'best before', which is different to a 'use by'. They just won't be as fresh, but they are not more likely to give you salmonella if eaten past the best before.