Serve raw and lightly cooked eggs safely.
Egg safety in catering depends on the source, the customer, the recipe and the handling process. Current FSA guidance gives British Lion and Laid in Britain assured hen eggs a specific role when serving raw or lightly cooked egg dishes, especially to vulnerable consumers.
Practical guidance from TKEG (The Kitchen Efficiency Group), built around everyday UK hospitality compliance and kitchen operations.
Why egg sourcing matters
Some eggs can contain Salmonella bacteria inside or on the shell. Caterers should buy from reputable suppliers who can demonstrate provenance and traceability and should reject eggs that are damaged, dirty or otherwise unsuitable.
The FSA considers hen eggs produced under the British Lion Code and Laid in Britain assurance schemes to present a very low Salmonella risk, although no egg can be guaranteed completely free from Salmonella.
Raw and lightly cooked hen eggs
Extra care is needed for foods such as runny eggs, fresh mayonnaise, mousse, soufflé, hollandaise and other dishes where egg remains raw or only lightly cooked.
Where the source cannot be verified as British Lion or Laid in Britain assured, the safer catering approach is to cook the egg thoroughly or use pasteurised egg products.
Serving vulnerable consumers
Young children, pregnant people, older adults and people with underlying health conditions can safely eat raw or lightly cooked hen eggs if those eggs carry the British Lion mark or are produced under the Laid in Britain assurance scheme.
If the assurance status cannot be verified, egg dishes for these groups should be thoroughly cooked or made with pasteurised egg products. People who are severely immunocompromised and following medically supervised diets need individual medical advice rather than generic catering guidance.
Non-hen eggs need stricter treatment
Duck, goose and quail eggs carry a higher Salmonella risk than hen eggs and should not be served raw or lightly cooked. They should be cooked thoroughly before service.
Control shell and packaging contamination
Bacteria can be present on shells and egg packaging and can spread to hands, utensils, worktops and other foods. Staff should wash and dry hands before and after handling eggs, shells and egg packaging and should clean and disinfect affected surfaces and equipment.
Keep shell eggs and cracked egg away from ready-to-eat foods and prevent contaminated packaging from moving through clean preparation areas.
Store eggs appropriately
Eggs should be stored consistently and protected from temperature abuse. FSA catering guidance recommends refrigeration where possible and says eggs should not be used beyond their best-before date.
Once eggs are cracked or incorporated into a prepared product, the controls for that food should reflect its actual process, temperature, shelf life and intended service.
Pooled liquid egg needs tighter control
If eggs are pooled together before use, keep the pooled liquid egg refrigerated, never top it up with newly cracked eggs and use it on the same day. Pooling increases the consequence of contamination because one affected egg can contaminate the whole batch.
For higher-risk or raw applications, pasteurised egg products can provide a safer option and should be handled according to supplier instructions.
Do not treat the Lion mark as permission to ignore hygiene
The assurance schemes materially reduce Salmonella risk but do not remove the need for good hygiene, suitable storage, clean equipment, supplier checks and cross-contamination controls.
A kitchen should be able to show what eggs it buys, how staff identify the assurance status, which dishes use raw or lightly cooked egg and what happens when the required source is unavailable.
Corrective action when egg controls fail
If eggs arrive damaged or dirty, assurance status cannot be verified for a dish that requires it, pooled egg has been held incorrectly, or cross-contamination may have occurred, protect customers first and assess the affected food rather than continuing service automatically.
Record meaningful corrective action and address recurring causes such as supplier substitution, weak receiving checks, poor labelling, inadequate segregation or staff misunderstanding.
How TKEG supports egg-safety evidence
TKEG can bring supplier records, delivery checks, date controls, cleaning, corrective actions, HACCP/SFBB evidence and staff training together so managers can demonstrate that egg-safety decisions are controlled and repeatable.
Practical guidance, checked against official UK sources.
TKEG guidance is written for practical hospitality use. Where a topic involves regulation, official schemes or workplace safety, businesses should also consult the current guidance from the relevant authority and apply it to their own operation.
TKEG is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Food Standards Agency, HSE or a local authority. Official guidance and legal requirements take precedence where applicable.
Put the guidance through a practical check
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Continue with closely related guidance
Related TKEG software and workflows
TKEG helps hospitality teams record, manage and evidence many of the day-to-day controls covered in our guides.
Common questions
Can restaurants serve runny eggs to pregnant people?
Yes, if the hen eggs are produced under the British Lion Code or Laid in Britain assurance scheme. If that status cannot be verified, the FSA advises thorough cooking or use of pasteurised egg products for vulnerable consumers.
Are British Lion eggs completely Salmonella-free?
No. The FSA considers the risk very low, but no egg can be guaranteed completely free from Salmonella. Good hygiene and food handling are still required.
Can duck eggs be served runny?
FSA catering guidance says eggs from species other than hens, including duck, goose and quail eggs, should always be cooked thoroughly and should not be used in raw or lightly cooked dishes.
Can pooled eggs be kept for the next day?
Current FSA catering guidance says pooled liquid egg should be kept refrigerated, never topped up with new eggs and used on the same day.
Is pasteurised egg safer for mayonnaise and mousse?
Pasteurised egg products can reduce food-safety risk for raw or lightly cooked dishes and are a useful control where assured shell-egg status cannot be verified or where the business chooses a more conservative process.
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