26/08/2026
Running a food business? Here's what you need to know about eggs and salmonella.
Some eggs can contain salmonella bacteria inside or on their shells. This can cause serious illness, particularly in young children, pregnant people, older adults, and people with certain underlying health conditions (e.g. cancer, diabetes, liver or kidney disease).
What you need to do:
- Buy eggs from reputable suppliers who can demonstrate traceability, ideally UK hen eggs from salmonella-vaccinated flocks.
- Check deliveries and reject any eggs that are damaged, dirty or not up to standard.
- If serving vulnerable customers raw or lightly cooked egg dishes, use eggs with the British Lion mark or from the Laid in Britain scheme, or use pasteurised egg products.
- If you can't verify an assurance scheme, cook egg dishes thoroughly.
- Wash and dry your hands thoroughly before and after handling eggs, eggshells or packaging.
- Never use duck, goose or quail eggs in raw or lightly cooked dishes. Always cook these thoroughly.
Full guidance, including advice on pooled eggs, storage and serving vulnerable consumers, is on our website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/advice-on-safe-storage-handling-and-use-of-eggs-for-catering
