When parts of Kerala were being sensitised after fears of a reported plastic egg surfaced, a similar incident in Madurai has left people concerned when a piece of plastic was found in a store-bought egg.

The row, which has been going on for a week, started when a worker at a hotel in Muthupatti, a village in Madurai, reportedly found a piece of plastic inside an egg. The image of the egg went viral on social media, creating panic among locals.

This incident has come at a time when the debate on plastic egg is intense in the South after a similar incident was reported in Kerala and further raised doubts as there was also a rumour that the egg was brought from Namakkal.

However, R Nallathambi, President of the Tamil Nadu Poultry Farmers’ Association, has clarified that there was no such incident and added that the rumour was created by miscreants.

“Plastic egg is available only in China and it cannot be imported. Food safety officials too are well aware of the issue and they know it is a rumour,” he said.

Reacting to the issue, a senior official from the Food Safety Department denied receiving such complaints from consumers. “We will act once we receive a complaint,” the official added.