Antibiotics found in Ovostar Union egg batches, export restricted — State Food and Consumer Service confirms

The State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection (SSUFSCP) has officially confirmed in a response to Latifundist.com that four out of five RASFF notifications regarding the detection of antibiotics in eggs of Ukrainian origin concern Yasensvit LLC, while one notification pertains to Ovostar Union LLC.

“Between January 1 and October 15, 2025, the SSUFSCP received five notifications through the RASFF system about the detection of residues of nitrofuran metabolites — four involving Yasensvit LLC and one involving Ovostar Union LLC,” the agency said.

The service clarified that the substance in question is 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone (AOZ) — a marker metabolite of furazolidone, a nitrofuran antibiotic banned for use in the production of food of animal origin.

According to the Order of the Ministry of Health No. 2646 of December 23, 2019, and the Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 180, maximum residue limits for this substance cannot be established, meaning that any trace presence in food products constitutes a violation.

Following the notifications, SSUFSCP’s regional offices conducted unscheduled inspections and took samples for testing.
As a result of these inspections:

• Certification of eggs for export has been temporarily suspended;
• Non-compliant products were withdrawn and destroyed;
• No evidence of deliberate use of prohibited substances was found.

“Based on the analysis of production records and internal controls at the enterprise, no signs of intentional use of banned substances were identified. The investigation is ongoing,” the service noted.

According to SSUFSCP, recent tests on egg samples did not detect any residual amounts of furazolidone.

Context

In August 2025, the French association CNPO reported several RASFF alerts concerning Ukrainian egg batches contaminated with antibiotics that have been banned in the EU for more than 15 years.

Following the reports, the Union of Poultry Breeders of Ukraine confirmed that exports from one of the enterprises had been temporarily suspended.

Earlier, Ovostar Union stated in response to a Latifundist.com inquiry that it had not supplied products to France and considered the remarks by European partners “competitive rather than sanitary.” The company did not respond to a follow-up request for comment.

As of November 2025, the official investigation is still ongoing, and exports from the company remain restricted.