AD

VIS

ORY

CONSUMER ADVISORY

Consumers should be informed of the significantly

increased health risk — especially to young children, elderly persons and individuals with weakened immune systems — when eggs are eaten in a

raw or undercooked form. Foods such as scrambled

or fried eggs, French toast and omelets are frequently undercooked, while other foods, such as

hollandaise or béarnaise sauce, mayonnaise, and

chocolate mousse, may contain raw or undercooked eggs. Consumers can be so informed by

brochures, advisories on signs or menus, table

tents, labeling or other effective written means.

To access the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food

Code and other information about handling eggs and

other foods safely in commercial and institutional food

operations, log on to the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and

Applied Nutrition web site:

WWW.CFSAN.FDA.GOV

Fresh eggs may contain

bacteria called Salmonella

Enteritidis (SE) that can

cause intestinal infections.

Most healthy people

recover from these

infections within 4-7 

days, but they can lead 

to severe and even fatal

illness, especially for those

most vulnerable to foodborne disease — young

children, the elderly, and

persons with immune

systems weakened by

health problems. Illness

from eggs — or foods that

contain them — can be

prevented by proper

preparation procedures 

and cooking to safe

temperatures.

INFORMATION FOR RETAIL FOOD STORES 

AND FOOD SERVICE OPERATIONS

Assuring the 

Safety of 

EGGS

and Menu and 

Deli Items 

Made From Raw, 

Shell Eggs.
0°

F

DANGER

ZONE

20°F

40°F

60°F

0°F

140°F

160°F

180°F 82°C

71°C

60°C

49

16C

4°C

-7°C

-18°C

Added Safeguards for Highly

Susceptible Populations ©Establishments that serve highly

susceptible populations (young

children, elderly persons and individuals with weakened immune

systems), such as day care centers,

nursing homes and hospitals,

should take the following additional precautions. Due to factors such

as age, medications, compromised

or immature immune systems, and various health conditions, these

populations are especially vulnerable to foodborne illness. ©In NO case should soft-cooked

eggs, soufflés or meringues or

other foods that contain raw or

undercooked eggs be served in

these facilities. ©As a general rule, treated eggs

or pasteurized egg products should

be used in any recipe that calls for

combining more than one egg

(“pooling”) and for any recipe,

preparation or serving procedure

that involves holding eggs or eggcontaining foods before or after

cooking. ©To add an extra margin of safety,

in addition to all of the above precautions, buyers can specify that

suppliers provide eggs produced

only from flocks managed under an

SE control program that is recognized by a state regulatory agency

or a state poultry association.

Cooking and Serving ©Cook raw shell eggs that are 

broken for immediate preparation

and service to heat all parts of the

food to a temperature of 63°C

(145°F) for 15 seconds. ©Cook foods prepared with raw

shell eggs that are not broken for

immediate preparation and service

to heat all parts of the food to 

a temperature of 68°C (155°F) for 

15 seconds. ©Eggs and egg-containing foods

cooked in a microwave oven should

be: covered to retain surface moisture; rotated or stirred throughout

or midway through cooking to promote even heat distribution; heated

to a temperature of at least 74°C

(165°F), and allowed to stand covered for 2 minutes before service.

Cooling ©Once cooked, eggs and eggcontaining foods should be served

immediately or cooled from 60°C

(140°F) to 21°C (70°F) within 2

hours and from 21°C (70°F) to 

5°C (41°F) within an additional 

4 hours.

Hot or Cold Holding ©If cooked eggs and egg-containing foods are held in hot holding

equipment they should be held at 

a temperature of 60°C (140°F) or

above, after being cooked to 68°C

(155°F) for 15 seconds. ©For cold holding, maintain

cooked eggs and egg containing

foods at 5°C (41°F) or below.

Receiving Eggs and Egg Products ©Shell eggs should be clean and uncracked. ©Raw shell eggs that have not been treated to

destroy Salmonella must be refrigerated at 7°C

(45°F) or below while stored or displayed. ©All packages of raw shell eggs not treated to

destroy Salmonella must carry this safe handling

statement— SAFE HANDLING

INSTRUCTIONS: TO PREVENT ILLNESS FROM

BACTERIA: KEEP EGGS REFRIGERATED, 

COOK EGGS UNTIL YOLKS

ARE FIRM, AND COOK FOODS CONTAINING EGGS THOROUGHLY

.

©Accept liquid, frozen and dried eggs and egg

products only if pasteurized.

Preventing Contamination ©Wash hands with hot, soapy water before and

after they come in contact with eggs and eggcontaining foods. Use clean utensils or single-use

gloves to handle ready-to-eat egg foods. ©Wash, rinse and sanitize utensils, equipment 

and work surfaces after preparing eggs or eggcontaining foods. ©Keep cooked ready-to-eat eggs and egg-containing foods separate from raw animal-derived foods

during storage, preparation, holding or display. ©Substitute treated eggs or pasteurized egg 

products for raw shell eggs in preparing such 

foods as Caesar salad, hollandaise or béarnaise

sauce, mayonnaise, eggnog, ice cream, and eggfortified beverages that are not thoroughly cooked.

(See minimum cooking times and temperatures

opposite.)