Bird flu: worry not, it is safe to eat eggs and chicken

The Citizen

13-06-2025

There is no bird flu in SA, but concerns over lack of imports may lead to shortages.
The outbreak of salmonella and highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu in other parts of the world, has left South Africans wondering if the eggs and chicken available in stores are contaminated.
This is after the egg producer, August Egg Company, in California, US, recalled about 1.7 million shell eggs due to the potential contamination with Salmonella enteritidis.
The outbreak of salmonella in California comes weeks after the outbreak of bird flu in Brazil, which led to the department of agriculture banning all poultry imports from the country.
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Bacteria found in eggs
The South African Poultry Association (Sapa) Egg Organisation has confirmed that there is no need for panic as it is safe to eat eggs and chicken.
'We confirm that there are no salmonella cases in South Africa that have caused people to be hospitalised,' said Sapa in a statement.
According to Watt Poultry, the contaminated US eggs were distributed to stores in California, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska, Indiana and Illinois.
They were distributed between 3 February and 6 May 2025, with sell-by dates from 4 March to 19 June 2025. So far, the outbreak has infected 79 people, with 21 requiring hospitalisation.
Safe to eat eggs
Salmonella is when a person gets diarrhoea and stomach pains from salmonella bacteria.
It is also called salmonellosis to distinguish it from other illnesses caused by different forms of salmonella bacteria, such as typhoid fever.
Sapa said it is still safe to consume eggs, as any cases of salmonella in the country will be reported by the department of health, together with the department of agriculture.
Is there bird flu in SA?
Sapa added that, according to its knowledge, there are no reported cases of bird flu in South Africa and any case will be officially reported by the government. Therefore, it is still safe to eat chicken and other poultry products.
Most of the chicken available in the country is imported from Brazil. However, following the bird flu outbreak there, a ban has been placed on imports.
The ban left the poultry industry divided over whether local poultry producers can produce enough chicken or if the ban would lead to a chicken shortage.
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Should SA worry about a chicken shortage?
Sapa is standing firmly, stating that there will not be any chicken shortage due to the Brazil ban, as local producers can make up for the gap created by the ban.
One of Sapa's reasons is that chicken is not eaten as frequently in winter, as in summer. Therefore, the additional supply of chicken should be sufficient to prevent shortages or price increases.
Izaak Breitenbach, CEO of Sapa's Broiler Organisation, said: 'We are currently producing about 21.5 million chickens a week and the industry has the capacity to increase this by about another million birds a week.'
The other side
The Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE) and Eskort are standing side by side, saying SA will feel the gap created by the ban.
Imameleng Mothebe, CEO of AMIE, said local producers cannot and will not be able to meet the gap in the supply of poultry offal (feet, gizzards and skins) and mechanically deboned meat (MDM), driving up prices and threatening the affordability and accessibility of basic protein for millions.
'With the current shortage of MDM, processed meat producers are facing cost surges as inventory levels are thinning and shelf prices are starting to reflect this reality,' she said.
Higher prices
Arnold Prinsloo, CEO of meat producer Eskort said they use MDM from Brazil to make polony, viennas, russians and braaiwors. The blanket ban on Brazil imports will bring production lines to a standstill before the end of June.
'Vulnerable families and thousands of school feeding schemes rely heavily on polony and there is a real danger of widespread hunger and malnutrition if Eskort and its competitors cannot sustain supplies,' Prinsloo said.
He disputed claims that local producers can make up for the chicken shortfall. 'It may be true when it comes to fresh or frozen chicken, but the local market doesn't produce mechanically deboned meat in any significant quantity.'
'We rely on Brazil for 92% of our needs, which is why this is such a serious challenge.'
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