Australia still has an egg problem.

I agreed to take on the role of food safety overseer at the Nov. 13, 2015 (ice) hockey annual banquet. Mainly because I didn’t want to see any of the kids I coach or parents get sick from microbiologically stupid Aussie traditions like using raw eggs in aioli or mayonnaise.

A company at the centre of a massive Melbourne Cup Day salmonella outbreak has been found guilty of failing in food safety standards, a court has heard.

It comes as the partner of a woman who died after contracting the infection during the outbreak has called for raw eggs to be “declared a hazardous substance.”

The Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday heard the bacteria was contained in one or some of the 20 raw eggs used to make five batches of mayonnaise by Piccalilli Catering in November 4, 2013.

The condiment was then used as a potato salad dressing, which was then sold to 14 separate Melbourne Cup Day functions in southeast Queensland, including one for the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

Magistrate Noel Noonan said despite expert evidence, “exactly how the salmonella got into the mayonnaise is unclear.” However, he added it was most likely through “horizontal transmission”, where salmonella is transferred from the shell into the egg.

The court heard 62 people became ill from eating the salad, including one woman who died from heart complications after contracting the infection at one of the functions.

Magistrate Noonan found the company had failed to pass on warnings regarding the quality of the eggs in questions, nor had they performed adequate checks on the same products.

However, he described the company as a “good corporate citizen” that “cooperated extensively with authorities” during the investigation.

It has also retained a five-star food safety rating from the local council.

(Which means the voluntary ratings in Brisbane are window-dressing).

Delish Foods owner Helen Grace expressed concern raw eggs were still allowed in food preparation.

“Rather than prosecuting a small business that followed all the rules, we believe the authorities should move to ban the use of raw eggs by caterers, restaurants and cafes, to ensure this kind of tragedy never happens again,” the statement read.

A table of Australian egg outbreaks is available at https://barfblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/raw-egg-related-outbreaks-australia-10-9-15.xlsx