Telangana Orders Ban On Production And Sale Of Mayonnaise For One Year. Here's Why

As per the observations, Mayonnaise made from raw eggs is suspected to be a cause of food poisoning in multiple incidents in the past few months, the order said.

The Telangana government on Wednesday banned the production, storage and sale of Mayonnaise prepared from raw eggs for one year due to recent cases of food poisoning linked to the food product. 

The state Commissioner of Food Safety issued an order prohibiting the production and storage with immediate effect following complaints of a suspected case of food poisoning.  

As per the observations during enforcement activities and complaints received from the public, Mayonnaise made from raw eggs is suspected to be a cause of food poisoning in multiple incidents in the past few months, the order said. However, the ban does not apply to mayonnaise which is produced from pasteurised eggs, with due safety measures to prevent contamination and having valid FSSAI certification.

The decision to ban mayonnaise was taken in a review meeting held by Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha with the Food Safety Department. The authorities informed the health minister that Kerala has already banned the preparation of mayonnaise following a series of food poisoning cases, especially after consuming chicken dishes.

In May this year, a woman had died in Kerala's Thrissur district following a mass food poisoning affecting approximately 178 people. Officials suspected that the food poisoning was caused by mayonnaise served with "kuzhimanthi," a Yemeni-inspired dish consisting of flavored rice and meat.

What Is Mayonnaise And How Is It Prepared?

Mayonnaise (or Mayo) is a thick, creamy sauce made by emulsifying egg yolks with oil, often flavoured with vinegar or lemon juice. However, it is not the same as salad dressing, which doesn't contain egg yolks and is generally sweeter than mayonnaise. 

It is commonly used as a side dish or dressing in sandwiches, salads, appetizers, snacks, shawarma and various dishes. It is an emulsion, which is a mixture of two liquids that normally can't be combined. In mayonnaise, a fat-in-water emulsion, the oil is broken into super-small droplets that are suspended in watery egg yolks. 

It’s considered the fattiest emulsion of its kind, with a ratio of about four parts fat to one part water, and about 80 per cent of mayonnaise’s final volume coming from the oil droplets.