Defying Europe’s egg scare, Belgian town makes giant omelet

MALMEDY, Belgium (AP) — Defying rain and a tainted egg scandal that has shaken European consumers, a Belgian town turned nearly 10,000 eggs into a giant omelet for the whole community.

Cooks and volunteers whipped up the massive concoction Tuesday using enormous wooden utensils, an oversized and oiled pan, bacon and green onions. They then distributed it to a hungry public.

It’s an annual event in the town of Malmedy that took on greater meaning this year, as several European countries reported receiving eggs or egg products contaminated by a pesticide.

Several Dutch and Belgian poultry producers are under investigation, though no one has become ill from the eggs and the health risk is considered low.

Omelet event co-founder Benedicte Mathy says organizers verified the sourcing for all the eggs used and deemed them danger-free.