Runny egg lovers rejoice! A safety committee has announced pregnant women in the UK should no longer be told to avoid raw or runny eggs, as long as they are produced to Lion code or equivalent.
Pregnant women have previously been advised to avoid eating raw or lightly cooked eggs due to a risk of salmonella. The new report shows that there has been a major reduction in this risk since 2001 and classifies certain UK-produced eggs as very ‘low risk,' meaning they are safe to eat runny or raw in pregnancy.
While The Food Standards Agency (FSA) still currently advises pregnant women to avoid raw or lightly cooked eggs, they have now begun an 8 week consultation and it is thought that this will lead them to change their official advice.
If you are a fan of runny eggs then there are a few things you need to consider before eating them.
Our midwife Nikki explains:
“If you like your eggs runny then hen eggs produced under the British Lion Scheme are now considered safe to eat lightly-cooked or raw in pregnancy. That’s because those hens have been vaccinated against salmonella. You should always check the eggs first for the Red Lion stamp before buying and remember to store them properly and to consume them within the best before date.”
So as long as they’re Red Lion standard, it's eggs and soldiers away!
Check out our list of foods you should avoid in pregnancy here.
