Eggs safe to eat, cancer risk claims misleading: FSSAI clarifies

New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Saturday said that eggs available in the country are safe for human consumption and dismissed recent claims linking egg consumption to cancer as misleading and scientifically unsupported.
In an official clarification, the food safety regulator said reports and social media posts alleging the presence of carcinogenic substances such as nitrofuran metabolites in eggs were creating unnecessary public alarm. FSSAI stressed that the use of nitrofurans is strictly prohibited at all stages of poultry and egg production under the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011.
Addressing concerns about the detection of nitrofuran metabolites, including AOZ, the authority explained that an Extraneous Maximum Residue Limit (EMRL) of 1.0 microgram per kilogram has been prescribed only for regulatory enforcement purposes. This limit represents the lowest level that can be reliably detected by modern laboratory techniques and does not imply that the substance is permitted for use.
“Detection of trace residues below the EMRL does not constitute a food safety violation nor does it pose any health risk,” an FSSAI official said, adding that such findings should not be misinterpreted as evidence of unsafe food.
The authority further noted that India’s regulatory standards are aligned with global practices. Both the European Union and the United States prohibit the use of nitrofurans in food-producing animals and use reference or action limits solely as enforcement tools. Variations in numerical thresholds across countries reflect differences in analytical and regulatory frameworks, not differences in consumer safety, it said.
On public health concerns, FSSAI cited scientific evidence showing no established causal link between trace-level dietary exposure to nitrofuran metabolites and cancer or other adverse health outcomes. No national or international health body has associated regular egg consumption with an increased cancer risk, it added.
Referring to reports about testing of a particular egg brand, FSSAI said such detections are isolated and batch-specific, often linked to inadvertent contamination or feed-related factors, and are not representative of the country’s overall egg supply chain.
Urging consumers to rely on verified scientific evidence and official advisories, FSSAI reiterated that eggs remain a safe, nutritious and valuable component of a balanced diet when produced and consumed in compliance with food safety regulations.(KNS).