Britain's food-safety regulators have told caterers, wholesalers and small shops to stop using eggs from Yasensvit, one of Ukraine's largest producers, after salmonella was found in them, a recall that hits a supply line that barely existed four years ago.

The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland, which issued the alert on 10 October, also told consumers to throw away any of the eggs they have bought.

The affected eggs carry the shell code 3UA1012066 and come from Yasensvit, a Kyiv-based producer that is part of Ukrainian egg group Ovostar Union.

The Ukrainian eggs were "primarily supplied through wholesalers and the catering supply chain, but also sold at small retailers", the FSA said.

They may have been repacked by British firms under other names, so the stamp on the shell, not the box, is the reliable guide. Eggs sold in the big supermarkets are produced in the UK and are not affected.

The UK imported no shell eggs from Ukraine before Russia's 2022 invasion. By 2025, after Britain lifted tariffs on Ukrainian goods, it bought about £25mn (about $33mn) worth, nearly a fifth of its shell-egg imports by value, according to HM Revenue & Customs data.

That share is close to a quarter so far in 2026. Only France supplies more.

[explore reporter="uk" products="0407" view="chart" currency="GBP" pin="UA" years="2019-2026" title="UK shell-egg imports by supplier, 2019–2026" subtitle="Customs value, £. Ukraine supplied none before 2023; 2026 is January–July only"]

The contamination is Salmonella Enteritidis. Hannah Charles, lead epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency, said the strain "is associated with 36 Salmonella cases in England reported in 2026" but is "genetically different to S. Enteritidis strains linked to the ongoing Salmonella outbreak" that the agency is investigating separately.

[explore reporter="uk" products="0407" view="chart" partner="UA" period="monthly" currency="GBP" years="2023-2026" title="UK shell-egg imports from Ukraine, monthly, 2023–2026" subtitle="Customs value, £. Data to July 2026"]

It is not the first safety flag against the company. Singapore's food agency recalled its eggs over the same bacterium in 2023.

Thoroughly cooked and hygienically handled eggs not covered by the alert should not pose a risk, the FSA said. It advised vulnerable groups to eat raw or lightly cooked eggs only if they carry the British Lion mark or come from the Laid in Britain scheme.