Locally sold eggs safe for public consumption

Locally sold eggs are safe for public consumption, Shanghai authorities assured residents Sunday, announcing the completion of a round of inspections on 43 batches of randomly selected eggs on the market after complaints surfaced of poor quality man-made eggs on store shelves.

All of the test samples met quality standards, the city's industry and commerce authorities said, adding that the bulk of eggs sold locally come from Jiangsu and Hebei provinces, where no problems relating to the quality of eggs have been discovered.

The spot checks were launched earlier this month by the city's industry and commerce authorities at 13 wet markets and select supermarkets, after shoppers complained weeks ago that they had purchased eggs with "rubber yolks" - after a similar situation was discovered in Jinan of Shandong Province late last year.

The man-made eggs had a pungent chemical smell and contained yolk with elasticity levels that enabled eggs to bounce back some 30 centimeters when dropped from a height of 1 meter, an investigation discovered. With eggshells made of congealed starch and yolk from resin and dye pigments, the eggs were sold much cheaper than real ones from 0.20 yuan ($0.03) to 0.30 yuan.

Local officials further reiterated that they plan to strengthen supervision and food safety checks in the city and take food safety-related violations seriously, promises that have been repeatedly made in the last year after several food scandals have angered the public.