Contamination of Eggs in India

Generally speaking, most poultry farms in India follow poor rearing practices. There is every likelihood that many of them could be using contaminated feeds or using feed ingredients without any knowledge of their nutritive content which can eventually negatively influence the quality of egg production.

- Dr. Saurabh Arora

Unhygienic rearing practices and neglect of quality control measures in poultry farms can easily lead to egg contamination. It is not just the poultry farmers but traders, exporters and even the end consumers in the country are often unaware of the lesser known health risks of egg contamination.

Developed countries take measures to sterilise the egg surface from contamination, especially from Salmonella Enteritidis. In India, such measures have widespread absence and thus the risk of egg contamination is high in our country. India has become a leading poultry producer but the potential to make an impact in the global markets with its poultry products is not very bright as the quality of its poultry products in the country often does not meet international standards. Indian eggs are often rejected for export because of the presence of chemical residues on egg shells.