Thank you for your inquiry to CDC-INFO. In response to your request for information on the safety of eggs, how they should be prepared as well as if they can be used raw in ice cream, we are pleased to provide you with the following information. 

To avoid Salmonella, you should never eat raw or lightly cooked (runny whites or yolks) eggs. Cooking reduces the number of Salmonella bacteria present in an egg. However, a lightly cooked egg with a runny egg white or yolk still poses a greater risk than a thoroughly cooked egg. Lightly cooked egg whites and yolks have both caused outbreaks of Salmonella infections.

In addition, raw foods of animal origin are the most likely to cause illness. This includes raw or undercooked eggs.

Foods that contain raw eggs can also cause illness. These foods include:

* Homemade Hollandaise sauce;

* Caesar and other salad dressings;

* Tiramisu;

* Homemade ice cream;

* Homemade mayonnaise;

* Cookie dough; and

* Frostings.

As a reminder, to protect yourself from foodborne illness, you should:

* Clean fruits and vegetables well before eating;

* Handle and cook raw food properly; and

* Promptly eat or refrigerate foods once they are cooked.

Also, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the federal agency responsible for ensuring that the food we eat is safe and wholesome. For more information, please visit FDA's website www.fda.gov/ or call FDA at 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332).

For more information, please visit the CDC websites:

Foodborne Infections: General Information National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/foodborne_infections/

Salmonellosis: General Information

National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/salmonellosis/

Food Safety

National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/

Food Safety Threats

Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response http://www.emergency.cdc.gov/agent/food/index.asp

Any links provided to non-Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization web pages found at these links.

Thank you for contacting CDC-INFO Contact Center. Please do not hesitate to call 1-800-CDC-INFO, e-mail [email protected] or visit http://www.cdc.gov if you have any additional questions.  

CDC-INFO is a service of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).  This service is provided by Vangent, Inc. under contract to CDC and ATSDR.

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