SUPERMARKET giants Asda, Sainbury’s and Morrisons have withdrawn produce from their stores as part of the Dutch egg contamination scandal.

The companies, which have stores across Teignbridge, have removed all egg salads – even though many have short shelf lives and may already have been consumed.

Morrisons have also withdrawn egg-related sandwiches as part of the clear-out in the wake of some 700,000 eggs imported to the UK from the Netherlands being tainted with the banned EU substance fipronil, exposure to which can cause nausea and dizziness.

A spokesman for the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said yesterday: ‘The decision to withdraw these products is not due to food safety concerns. It is because fipronil is not authorised for use in food-producing animals.’

Sainsbury’s said food safety was an absolute priority.

A spokesman said: ‘Two salad bowls which contain egg may include very small traces of fipronil. The FSA has advised that this is unlikely to pose a health risk – but we are withdrawing these products from sale on a temporary basis as a precautionary measure.’

Millions of eggs have been withdrawn from sale in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium in the wake of the contamination scare, which emerged on August 1.