Egg safety
Eating raw eggs, eggs with runny yolks or any food that is uncooked or only lightly cooked and contains raw eggs can cause food poisoning, especially in anyone who is in an ‘at risk’ group. These groups include:
babies and toddlers
elderly people
pregnant women
people who are already unwell
This is because eggs may contain salmonella bacteria, which can cause serious illness.
When eating raw or lightly cooked eggs, using pasteurised eggs minimises this risk, because the pasteurisation process kills salmonella.
Pasteurisation is a heat treatment that uses high temperatures to kill bacteria. However, most eggs you can buy in the shops are not pasteurised. Pasteurised eggs often come in liquid, dried or frozen form.
If you are preparing food – especially food that won’t be cooked or will only be lightly cooked – for people who are in an ‘at risk’ group, you can choose pasteurised eggs as the safest option.