Food Safety Eggs

Overview

Eggs are a cheap, nutritious food, but like all raw foods they can carry harmful germs — most commonly a type of bacteria called Salmonella. 'Food safety with eggs' simply means handling, storing and cooking eggs in ways that stop those germs from making you or your family ill. Most of the time this is about small everyday habits: keeping eggs cool, washing your hands, cooking eggs until they are set, and keeping raw egg away from foods that won't be cooked.

Egg-related food poisoning is not common, and it has become much less common over the last few decades thanks to vaccination of hens and better food safety practices. Millions of eggs are eaten safely every day. When illness does happen, it is usually mild and short-lived.

Anyone can get food poisoning from eggs. Some people are more likely to become seriously ill or dehydrated: pregnant women, young children, older adults, and people with a weakened immune system (for example, people having cancer treatment or living with HIV). These groups are usually advised to be extra careful with eggs — especially raw or lightly cooked ones.

Symptoms

Common symptoms

• Feeling sick (nausea) and sometimes being sick
• Watery diarrhoea
• Tummy cramps or pain
• Feeling generally unwell, tired or achy
• A raised temperature (fever), headache or chills
• Symptoms usually start 6 to 72 hours after eating the food and settle within a few days

Symptoms in children

• Being sick or having diarrhoea more often, which leads to dehydration faster than in adults
• Fewer wet nappies or less urine than usual
• Dry mouth, no tears when crying, sunken eyes
• Sleepiness, floppiness or unusual irritability
• Refusing drinks or unable to keep fluids down

Symptoms in older adults

• Dehydration can develop quickly and may show as confusion, dizziness on standing, or weakness
• Symptoms may be more severe and last longer
• Food poisoning can trigger problems with existing conditions, such as kidney or heart problems
• Reduced thirst means they may drink less than they need without noticing

Causes

Main causes

• Salmonella bacteria inside or on the shell of raw eggs — these are killed by proper cooking
• Eating eggs that are raw or only lightly cooked, including homemade mayonnaise, mousse, soft-boiled eggs and raw cake batter
• Cross-contamination — germs from shells, hands, knives, boards or utensils getting onto foods that are eaten raw, such as salad or bread
• Storing eggs somewhere warm, or keeping them past their use-by date
• Using cracked or dirty eggs without cooking them thoroughly
• Not washing hands after handling raw eggs or the shells

Risk factors

• Being pregnant, a young child, an older adult, or having a weakened immune system
• Eating out or at home where raw eggs are used in dishes like mayonnaise, mousse or tiramisu
• Buying eggs that are not part of a recognised safety scheme, or buying from informal or unpasteurised sources
• Poor kitchen hygiene — the same board or knife for raw and ready-to-eat foods
• Keeping eggs at room temperature for long periods, or in a warm kitchen
• Travel to areas where egg hygiene standards may be lower

When to see a doctor

See a doctor urgently if:

• You or your child cannot keep fluids down, or show signs of dehydration
• There is blood in the diarrhoea or vomit
• A high fever that will not settle, or shaking chills
• Severe or worsening tummy pain
• Symptoms in a baby, a pregnant woman, an older adult, or someone with a weakened immune system
• Symptoms that last longer than a week

Book a routine appointment if:

• You are unsure whether your symptoms are from food and want advice
• You want to know how to eat eggs safely during pregnancy or for a young child
• You have had repeated bouts of stomach upset you would like to discuss
• You would like advice on food safety before cooking for a vulnerable person

Diagnosis

For most people, no tests are needed. A doctor will ask what you ate, when your symptoms started, and how you are managing with fluids, and can usually tell from this whether you have food poisoning. If you are very unwell, in a higher-risk group, or symptoms are lasting longer than expected, they may ask for a stool (poo) sample to look for the germ responsible. This is helpful for public health tracking as well as for your care.

Tests that may be done

• A stool sample sent to the laboratory to check for Salmonella or other germs
• A blood test if you are very unwell, to check for dehydration and for signs of a more serious infection
• A urine test or pregnancy test if you are a woman of childbearing age and there is any doubt
• Sometimes a stool sample from household members if several people are unwell

What to expect at your appointment

If a stool sample is needed, you will be given a small pot and asked to return it quickly. Results can take a few days. In the meantime, the advice is the same: keep drinking, rest, and wash your hands well, especially after the toilet and before preparing food, so you don't pass the infection on.

Treatment

Treatment for food poisoning from eggs is mostly about replacing the fluids and salts you lose through vomiting and diarrhoea, and letting your body clear the infection. In most healthy people this happens within a few days. Antibiotics are not usually needed and are only considered in particular situations, such as severe illness or for people at high risk. Your doctor or pharmacist can advise on rehydration products that are suitable for you or your child.

Self-care at home

• Drink small sips of water often — using an oral rehydration solution from a pharmacy can help replace salts
• Eat when you feel able; bland, simple foods are easiest at first, and you can return to normal eating as you improve
• Rest as much as you need to
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after the toilet, before preparing food, and after changing nappies
• Stay away from work, school or nursery until you have had no diarrhoea or vomiting for at least 48 hours — this is especially important if you work with food or in healthcare
• Do not prepare food for other people while you are unwell
• Avoid swimming pools until 2 weeks after your last episode of diarrhoea

Medical treatments

Medical care focuses on supporting you through the illness. A doctor may advise or prescribe oral rehydration fluids, and will check for dehydration. Antibiotics are used only in specific circumstances — for example, if you are very unwell, have a weakened immune system, or are in another high-risk group — and the decision is based on your individual situation. Anti-diarrhoea medicines are generally avoided in this kind of infection because they can make it last longer; ask your pharmacist or doctor before taking anything. If you become significantly dehydrated, fluids may be given through a drip in hospital.

When is surgery considered?

Surgery is not used to treat food poisoning from eggs. In very rare cases, a serious infection can spread beyond the gut and cause problems that need hospital care, but this is uncommon.

Living with this condition

While you recover, keep things simple. Rest, sip fluids regularly, and don't rush back to normal eating. Your appetite usually returns within a few days. Keep your hands and kitchen clean, and don't cook for others until you have been free of symptoms for 48 hours.

Lifestyle tips

• Build handwashing into your routine — before cooking, after handling raw eggs or meat, after the toilet, and after touching pets
• Keep a separate chopping board or use a clean one for raw foods, and wash knives and boards in hot soapy water
• Store eggs in the fridge at home, ideally below 5°C, and away from cooked or ready-to-eat foods
• Check the use-by date before cooking, and use cracked eggs only in dishes that are cooked thoroughly
• Don't wash eggs before storing them — this can push germs through the shell; if a shell is dirty, cook the egg thoroughly
• When eating out, choose places with a good hygiene reputation, and ask about raw egg dishes if you are in a higher-risk group

Diet and exercise

During the illness, focus on fluids rather than exercise. Once you feel well and are eating normally again, you can gradually return to your usual activity. There is no special diet that speeds recovery — a normal, balanced diet with plenty of fluids is what your body needs. Eggs themselves are a nutritious food and can be part of a healthy diet once you are well, as long as they are handled and cooked safely.

Mental health and emotional wellbeing

A short bout of food poisoning can leave you feeling anxious about eating certain foods, especially if you were unwell enough to need medical care. This usually fades as you recover. If worry about food is affecting how you eat or how you live day to day, it is worth talking to your doctor — help is available. If you ever feel overwhelmed or in crisis, contact your local emergency number or a crisis support service in your country straight away.

Prevention

Yes — most egg-related illness is preventable with a few simple habits. Store eggs in the fridge, check the use-by date, cook eggs thoroughly unless you know they come from a certified safety scheme, and keep raw eggs away from foods that won't be cooked. Wash your hands, knives and boards in hot soapy water after handling raw eggs. If you are pregnant, a young child, an older adult, or have a weakened immune system, it is safest to choose thoroughly cooked eggs.

Screening programmes

There is no screening test for egg-related food poisoning. Instead, prevention comes from food safety practices at home and when eating out. Many countries run vaccination programmes for egg-laying hens against Salmonella, and this is one reason egg-related illness has fallen sharply over recent decades.

Complications

If left untreated

• Dehydration, which can be serious — especially in babies, older adults and anyone who cannot keep fluids down
• Prolonged diarrhoea or a stay in hospital for fluids
• In a small number of people, the infection can spread beyond the gut into the bloodstream, which is a serious condition needing hospital treatment
• Some people develop joint pain and swelling (reactive arthritis) weeks after the infection — this usually improves over time
• Rarely, a form of bowel irritation that lasts for some weeks
• Spreading the infection to others, particularly if you handle food for a living

Long-term outlook

The outlook is very good for most people. Food poisoning from eggs usually settles within a few days to a week, and you can expect to be back to normal eating and activity soon afterwards. Sensible kitchen habits make eggs a safe, affordable and healthy part of everyday meals — and for anyone in a higher-risk group, choosing well-cooked eggs is a simple way to keep that safety margin.

Find support

External links open third-party websites. Ruqelo Health is not responsible for external content. Listing an organisation does not imply endorsement.