Is it safe to eat lightly cooked egg dishes, or use recipes that call for raw eggs?
Question
Is it safe to eat lightly cooked egg dishes, or use recipes that call for raw eggs?
Answer
Today some unbroken fresh shell eggs may contain certain bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. The bacteria are Salmonella enteritidis. While the number of eggs affected is quite small, there have been some scattered outbreaks in the last few years. Currently the government, the egg industry and the scientific community are working together to solve the problem.
Researchers say that if present, the Salmonella bacteria are usually in the yolk or "yellow." But they can't rule out the bacteria being in egg whites. So everyone is advised against eating raw or undercooked egg yolks, whites or products containing them.
People with health problems, the very young, the elderly and pregnant women (the risk is to the unborn child) are particularly vulnerable to Salmonella enteritidis infections. A chronic illness weakens the immune system making the person vulnerable to foodborne illnesses.
(Source:
Egg and Egg Product Safety. See also Focus On Shell Eggs.)
