Now Tamil Nadu also bans mayonnaise made with raw eggs

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has banned production, storage and sale of mayonnaise made with raw eggs for the next one year in the state. The prohibition came into effect on April 8.

“It has come to notice that a number of food business operators use raw egg for preparation of mayonnaise, improper preparation and storage facilities, contamination by microorganisms, which creates a public health risk, an order issued by Food Safety and Drug Administration commissioner R Lalvena said.

Mayonnaise (or Mayo) is a thick, creamy sauce made by emulsifying egg yolks with oil, often flavoured with vinegar or lemon juice.

Kerala and Telangana have previously imposed similar restrictions, essentially aimed at restaurants and eating joints after cases of food poisoning.

Kerala imposed the ban in January 2023 following the death of a nurse in Kottayam medical college hospital after reportedly consuming al faham, an Arabic chicken dish served with mayonnaise. In Pathanamthitta, several students in a school were also hospitalised after consuming shawarma which is also usually served with mayonnaise.

In October last year, Telangana also prohibited mayonnaise made from raw eggs for one year after a 31-year-old woman died and 15 others fell ill from consuming momos in Hyderabad.

Section 30 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which was invoked by the government to impose the restriction in Tamil Nadu, empowers the food safety commissioner to prohibit any food item for a maximum duration of one year.

The order issued by Tamil Nadu said mayonnaise made from raw eggs was a “high risk food as it carries food poisoning risk.” It warned of poisoning from especially “Salmonella bacteria, Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella enteritidis, Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes.”