Keeping eggs safe

Eating raw eggs, or eggs with runny yolks, or any food containing these, can cause food poisoning especially for anyone who is:

• very young (babies to toddlers)
• elderly
• pregnant
• already unwell

This is because some eggs contain salmonella bacteria, which can cause serious illness, especially for anyone in these groups. So if you are preparing food for anyone in these groups always make sure eggs are cooked until the white and yolk are solid.

If you want to choose the safest option, you could use pasteurised egg for all foods that won't be cooked or will be only lightly cooked. And the safest option, for example for caterers preparing food for these vulnerable groups, is to always use pasteurised egg.

There are three main issues that we should all be aware of:

• avoiding the spread of bacteria
• cooking eggs properly
• storing eggs safely

Avoiding the spread of bacteria
Bacteria can spread very easily from eggs to other foods, hands, worktops, etc. There can be bacteria on the shell, as well as inside the egg, so you need to be careful how you handle eggs, when they are still in the shell and after you have cracked them.

If you touch eggs, or get some egg white or yolk on your hands, you could spread bacteria to anything else you touch, whether it's food or the fridge handle, so make sure you wash and dry your hands thoroughly.

If a whole egg, egg shell, or drips of white or yolk touch other foods, then bacteria can spread onto those foods.

Bacteria can also spread onto worktops, dishes and utensils that are touched by eggs, and then the bacteria can spread to other foods that touch the worktops, dishes or utensils.

So remember to:

• Keep eggs away from other foods, when they are still in the shell and after you have cracked them.
• Be careful not to splash egg onto other foods, worktops or dishes.
• Always wash and dry your hands thoroughly after touching eggs or working with them.
• Clean surfaces, dishes and utensils thoroughly, using warm soapy water, after working with eggs.

Cooking eggs properly
If you cook eggs until both the white and yolk are solid this will kill any bacteria. If you are cooking a dish containing eggs, make sure you cook it until the food is steaming hot all the way through.

Foods that are made with raw eggs and then not cooked, or only lightly cooked, can cause food poisoning. This is because any bacteria in the eggs won't be killed.

All the following might contain raw eggs:

• home-made mayonnaise
• Béarnaise and hollandaise sauces
• some salad dressings
• ice cream
• icing
• mousse
• tiramisu and other desserts

For the safest choice, you could use pasteurised egg instead (available from some supermarkets), because pasteurisation kills bacteria.

If you're concerned, when you're eating out or buying food that isn't labelled and you're not sure whether a food contains raw egg, ask the person serving you.

If you buy commercially produced mayonnaise, salad dressings, sauces, ice cream, desserts, or ready-made icing, these will almost always have been made using pasteurised egg. Check the label but ask if you're not sure.

Storing eggs safely
Here are some tips to help you store your eggs safely:

• Do store eggs in a cool, dry place, ideally in the fridge.
• Do store eggs away from other foods. It's a good idea to use your fridge's egg tray, if you have one, because this helps to keep eggs separate.
• Do eat dishes containing eggs as soon as possible after you've prepared them, but if you're not planning to eat them straight away, cool them quickly and then keep them in the fridge.
• Don't use eggs after their 'best before' date for the safest choice.
• Don't use eggs with damaged shells, because dirt or bacteria might have got inside them.