A total of 28 people fell ill with sickness and diarrhoea after eating at The Real China restaurant in Eastleigh, Hampshire, in July 2014. The outbreak originated from an egg producer in Germany.

Andrew Joret, British Egg Industry Council Chairman, said: “Food safety scares linked to non-UK eggs is a recurring issue, and while it’s good news that the victims of this outbreak have been awarded compensation, we hope it will encourage more caterers and consumers to look for the additional safety values of the Lion so it doesn’t happen again.

“The independently audited British Lion scheme ensures the highest standards of food safety and has effectively eliminated Salmonella from British Lion eggs. In 2017 the Food Standards Agency confirmed that Lion eggs are the only ones that are safe to be consumed runny, or even raw, by everyone including vulnerable groups.”

The British Lion Code of Practice is the UK’s most successful food safety scheme. More than 90% of UK eggs are now produced to British Lion standards and more than 150 billion British Lion eggs have been produced since its launch in 1998.

The Lion scheme has effectively eliminated Salmonella from British Lion eggs and, in 2017, the Food Standards Agency confirmed that Lion eggs are the only ones that are safe to be consumed runny, or even raw, by everyone including vulnerable groups.

All eggs that carry the British Lion mark meet the stringent requirements of the British Lion Code of Practice which ensures the highest standards of food safety. The independently audited code contains strict food safety controls above and beyond EU and UK legislation, and covers more than 700 auditable points from Salmonella vaccination to complete traceability of hens, eggs and feed.