Can eat raw eggs
Executive summary
Health authorities and major medical outlets advise against eating raw or undercooked eggs because of a measurable—if small—risk of Salmonella and other pathogens; experts often recommend pasteurized eggs or fully cooking eggs to an internal temperature around 160°F (71°C) to eliminate that risk [1][2]. Outbreak investigations and recent recalls underscore the real-world consequences: multistate Salmonella outbreaks linked to commercial eggs led to hospitalizations in 2025, and agencies repeatedly warn consumers to avoid raw eggs or use pasteurized products [3][4].
1. The official safety baseline: cook eggs, or use pasteurized egg products
Federal food-safety guidance from the FDA and USDA is unequivocal that eggs not treated to destroy Salmonella should be cooked until whites and yolks are firm and that recipes calling for raw or undercooked eggs should use pasteurized shell eggs or pasteurized egg products [1][5]. The FDA specifically recommends pasteurized eggs for dishes served raw or undercooked, and the USDA labeling expects consumers to follow safe-handling instructions that advise against eating raw yolks and whites [1][5].
2. How big is the risk — small per egg, but consequential at scale
Several sources note the per-egg risk is low (one oft-cited figure is about 1 in 20,000 eggs), but public-health writers and physicians stress that low per-unit risk can still produce outbreaks when eggs are widely consumed; the New York Times and Cleveland Clinic highlight that although you “won’t get sick every time” you eat an undercooked egg, the cumulative exposure matters for population health and for vulnerable people [2][6].
3. Recent, tangible evidence: recalls and outbreaks in 2025
The theoretical risk has produced real events: 2025 recalls and an FDA/CDC multistate Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak tied to commercial egg producers resulted in dozens of illnesses and hospitalizations; investigators traced infections back to particular egg brands and advised consumers to discard implicated products and consult healthcare providers if symptomatic [3][4]. These incidents demonstrate that contamination still occurs in modern commercial supply chains [3][4].
4. Who faces higher risk — and why “occasionally” isn’t the same as “safe”
Health authorities and clinicians stress that certain groups—infants and young children, people over 65, pregnant people, and those with compromised immune systems—should especially avoid raw or undercooked eggs because their chance of severe illness is higher [2][7]. Outlets like Cleveland Clinic and Healthline explicitly recommend these groups steer clear of raw eggs and instead use pasteurized products or fully cooked eggs [2][7].
5. Harm-reduction: pasteurized eggs, sanitary handling, and cooking temperatures
If someone chooses dishes traditionally served with undercooked egg (Caesar dressing, homemade ice cream, tiramisu), the safer choices are pasteurized shell eggs or pasteurized egg products; the FDA and multiple health outlets recommend this substitution [1][8]. Additionally, proper refrigeration, cleaning of surfaces and utensils, and cooking to about 160°F (71°C) (often described as firm yolks) will kill Salmonella and other potential pathogens [1][9].
6. Competing perspectives and personal choice
Food writers and some consumers continue to accept the small risk for culinary preference—runny yolks are a known trade-off, and the New York Times notes that people may judge their own tolerance for occasional consumption of undercooked eggs [6]. However, this culinary liberty is explicitly at odds with public-health recommendations: authorities urge avoidance or substitution (pasteurized eggs) to prevent illness [5][1].
7. Limitations of available reporting and practical takeaways
Available sources emphasize Salmonella risk and provide guidance, but they do not offer a definitive, current per-egg infection rate beyond older widely cited estimates; they also reflect outcomes from specific 2025 outbreaks and recalls that may not apply universally [6][3]. Practical steps drawn from the reporting: prefer pasteurized eggs for raw recipes, refrigerate and handle eggs hygienically, and cook eggs until yolks and whites are firm if you want to minimize risk—especially if you or those you feed are in high-risk groups [1][5].
If you want, I can summarize these recommendations into a short checklist for shopping, storing and cooking eggs, or find recipes that safely replicate runny-yolk textures using pasteurized products (not found in current reporting).