Salmonella was in the news again this weekend when a million chocolate bars were removed from the shelves, though the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has yet to estalish whether the chocolate was contaminated. But according to the FSA, eggs do pose a risk of infection from the salmonella bacterium, which can cause serious illness, especially in the elderly, the very young, pregnant women and anyone who is already unwell. When I have ice cream made with eggs I don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 20 minutes, giving it enough time to soften but ensuring that food-poisoning bacteria such as staphylococci do not grow. The maximum time is half an hour.

I use only eggs that have the British Lion quality mark, and part of its food safety practice is to ensure that all hens are vaccinated against salmonella. Of course, the hens being vaccinated doesn’t guarantee that the eggs won’t contain salmonella, but Kevin Coles, of the British Egg Information Service, says that they haven’t found salmonella in any with the mark (the FSA tested 280,000 in 2004). About 85 per cent of eggs in this country have this mark, but this leaves the 15 per cent of eggs that are imported.

You’d be hard pushed to find eggs without this mark in major supermarkets, though you could perhaps be unlucky in corner shops that sell eggs imported from countries such as Spain, where there isn’t a vaccination programme. (And you should check eggs bought in farmers’ markets or from farms). Information in the press last week showed that there were high levels of the salmonella infection in Spain, Portugal and other EU countries. OK, 11 per cent of more than 400 premises tested in the UK had the salmonella bacterium present, but as Kevin Coles points out, just because a farm has salmonella doesn’t mean the hens will pass it on to the eggs.

The Lion is a food safety mark, not an animal welfare seal, so you can find it on both organic and non-organic eggs. I feel I am safe enough using raw eggs to make mayonnaise, for instance, and I also give them to Maya, my daughter. If I were eating out, though, I wouldn’t risk it. I also think that with pregnant women, young children and people who are already ill, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

The Food Standards Agency risk groups should continue to avoid foods with raw egg in them. But perhaps it’s time the FSA got tougher with imported eggs.

I am 80 and live in a residential care home, where I have access to a microwave and enjoy being able to prepare my own meals, even though my hands are now arthritic. Do you have any suggestions about what I can cook that’s healthy for me?

The last decade has brought a massive increase in the number and variety of ready-made microwaveable foods. And although salt levels have in the past been worryingly high, some manufactures are now reducing them. When you’re elderly you may already be suffering from hypertension — high blood pressure — so a diet high in salt won’t be good for you.

If you have access to a freezer, you can use frozen ready-made meals and foods, which frequently have far lower salt, sugar and fat levels and contain fewer additives and preservatives. Frozen foods have a big advantage on cost too. Vitamin and mineral levels in frozen vegetables are often far higher than in so-called fresh, and they can work out well for people in your situation as you can eat them when you fancy.

Many microwaves have a defrost facility and, as long as you follow the operational guidelines, the food will be healthy and safe to eat.

If people bring food for you, ask them to wrap it well and to divide it into portions for freezing. This can be especially useful for bread: freeze a few slices in bags. I love frozen vegetables, such as peas and broad beans, as you can add them to sauces for fibre, vitamin C and other nutrients.

You can now buy microwaveable porridge and rice, two very simple starch foods. Fish portions in sauce are a good standby, making a balanced meal with rice or ready-made mashed potato and some frozen peas. And supermarkets make dishes — shepherd’s pie, fish or chicken pies — in smaller portions.

If you don’t have a freezer, buy bags of ready-prepared vegetables. Canned vegetables are not great texture-wise, as the canning process can make them mushy and they can often be higher in salt, but as a standby they’re better than nothing. Canned fruit in juice (not syrup), though, is a good fibre-provider.

Do take care to cook the food according to instructions to ensure that it is hot and safely cooked, so that you don’t fall foul of food-poisoning bugs.

DO YOU NEED ADVICE?
Send your nutritional problems to jane.clarke@thetimes.co.uk or to Jane Clarke, times2, 1 Pennington Street, London, E98 1TT. Her replies cannot apply to individual cases and should be taken in a general context. Consult your GP with any health or specific conditions. Jane regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence

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