Runny eggs - why are we not supposed to eat them?

[shelley72]

I know that eggs are safe if thoroughly cooked through, but what is the danger with runny eggs? Is it the risk of salmonella? Would eggs be safe if they were from chickens that were vaccinated? Thank you!

Eggs with the lion mark on them are fine because they're from vaccinated chickens. I believe it's something in American books/websites that people in the UK just assume is a global thing. You should be fine if they're from a supermarket.

Hi ladies

I was confused about this too. Friends have told me its ok to eat eggs with lion stamp if they're runny because the chickens have been vaccinated against salmonella which makes sense to me. However it says on the NHS website to not eat any runny eggs (doesnt mention anything about lion stamp) Confusing! I know it's only a small thing but eggs are one of the only healthyish things I can stomach at the moment!
Anyone know anymore about this?
Xxx

I asked the midwife yesterday if I was allowed to eat a poached egg from a lion stamped egg and she said it had to be well cooked with NO runny yolk

oh boo! i did check on the NHS last night and it said not to eat runny yolks, but then i thought that maybe if the hens had been vaccinated then it may be ok (it makes sense), if it was just salmonella that was the risk factor. maybe i wont risk it then!

If you want to follow the current NHS guidelines to the letter then don't eat any runny eggs. However, I not sure how often they are updated. I do know that they want to make them as simple as possible and err on the side of caution so that absolutely everyone who will get pregnant can understand them easily. Many midwives also do this - I have been told I shouldn't be taking a prescribed medicine, even though there is absolutely no reason not to, it doesn't pass into the bloodstream let alone cross the placenta (basing this on my own knowledge, PhD in Pharmacology) and two doctors have told me it's fine. I've just had to lie and say I've stopped taking it, because she couldn't compute that it was OK.

I tend to make any medical-related decisions by considering all the info and the actual evidence for any risks. I have been eating runny eggs if they are lion stamped.

You're not supposed to eat them because you're supposed to be a good pregnant lady who does exactly as she's told and follows the nhs guidelines.

(alternatively you could consider the nhs guidelines an overly simplified list of banned food that doesn't provide any useful guidance on why some food may pose a risk or what the actual level of risk is so do your own research and conclude vaccinated runny eggs are fine)

The risk is salmonella, but personally I still eat runny eggs. This is because 1. hens are vaccinated in this country and 2. Salmonella isn't actually bad for the baby - you'd feel awful, but the baby would be ok. This isn't the case with listeria, which can actually cause stillbirth or miscarriage, so I'm very careful with pâté, but I refuse to give up my eggs!

You can eat runny lion eggs though.

I have. Get stuck in!

i always ate them.when oreg, lion marked, free range etv.

the risk.is salmonella you are more likely to catch it if you dont wash your hands after handling the egg shell, not from the egg white and yolk itself. the bacteria is mainly on the outside of the egg shell.

It's one of those things that there are no absolutes isn't it?

As I understand it, the risk of runny, non-lion stamped eggs is that they may carry salmonella. Lion stamped eggs are from vaccinated hens and so are less likely to carry it, and eggs cooked all the way through are even less likely to be a problem.

So if you want to minimise your risk as much as you can you eat only hard-cooked, lion-stamped eggs, but if you weigh up the risks versus the pros for you (I hate runny eggs so no pros for me ) and decide it's worth it to you then go ahead and eat runny eggs.

It's the same with things like sushi and soft cheese, there are (relatively small) risks associated with them, and it's up to the indiviual to decide if it's worth it to them.

What it would be really useful to know is some stats about how much safer lion-stamped eggs are. Anyone have that info?

No stats, but I have heard (anecdotally, sorry) that salmonella is close to non-existent in the UK now due to vaccination of chickens. My understanding of the situation wrt risk of salmonella and actual risk to the baby is exactly the same as what lurcher said, and I have been eating runny eggs with pleasure in defiance of my doctor.

What lurcher says. The risk is to you not the baby so I ate them all the way through my pregnancy. I've eaten them all my Life and got Salmonella once which is once more than most people in the UK and was before lion marks so I figure it pretty safe. Listeria is a different kettle of fish as affects the baby.

To be perfectly brutal, anyone who can stomach runny eggs in pregnancy should be allowed to eat them! Just the smell of them makes me gag!

Tis a very difficult list to negotiate, and very frustrating. Eg off topic but goats cheese is my favourite thing in the whole world, but technically, it's mould-ripened (has white outer). Apparently it's fine if pasteurised but it's impossible to find out if a brand is or isn't pasteurised as it's not printed on the packet!

brave you can have it if it's cooked, stick some in the oven?

oops i have had cooked goats cheese the night i found out i was pg . not that i ate much but thats shock for you!

i think i am going to risk a runny egg if i fancy one. allbeit a shop bought one so that i can be as safe as i can whilst still being a naughty pregnant lady who shamelessly flouts medical advice. i've never really been one for doing as i am told !

Midget that's amazing news! I always bake it to have with a salad, so will carry on!

Happy egg eating all!

Brave - Capricorn goats cheese is pasteurised and says so on the pack. They sell it at Tesco and I guess most if the big supermarkets (apart from my local Morrisons - grr!).

Enjoy!

If you're being strict in these things, if cheese is soft and mould ripened then it should be avoided irrespective if whether or not it's pasteurised. If course you could just decide the risk is so minimal that you may as well just eat it anyway.

My eggs come with my veg box, they're free range and local produce which is important to me. They don't have the lion mark. I can't seem to stomach meat or fish at the moment so eggs are probably my main source of protein. I think the benefits of eating them outweigh the tiny risk. A nice soft boiled egg with soldiers is one of my few pleasures at the moment!

I always eat (lion stamped) runny eggs when pregnant. As do I eat Parma ham, chorizo, shellfish. It's a risk but so is getting in a car when pregnant. I just see it as wholesome food that my body is clearly craving. I don't go OTT - just have it when I really, really want it - and draw the line at pâté. Up to you though!

Oh I ate runny eggs. Life is too short and the risks are terribly small!