Egg Question

Is it true that any eggs I buy in Japan at the super market or konbini or wherever are okay to eat raw?

Just wondeing because was thinking of eating a lot more eggs, and eating them raw.

16 comments
  1. I don’t have a ton of scientific knowledge about this besides the perfunctory googling I did when I asked myself the same question (which did result in numerous claims that the prevalence of salmonella is far lower in Japanese eggs). What I do have is plenty of experience eating raw eggs in cooked rice and never having any issues.

  2. Each egg in Japan is scanned for salmonella, so are safe to eat raw.

    Raw chicken on the other hand is not safe (even in Japan)

  3. Of course, what else are you supposed to have with your natto and negi. 🙂

  4. Yes, just watch the expiration date carefully. There are also eggs for sale that are kinda half raw, half softly boiled.

  5. I’ve been eating raw eggs almost daily for over twenty years and never gotten sick

  6. I have been eating raw eggs over rice for the past couple weeks and it’s pretty great. Not gotten sick yet!

  7. Salmonella usually comes from the outer shells. In Japan the shells are sterilized, but of course there’s no guarantee that the egg won’t be infected.

  8. Eggs in the US are washed as part of the commercial packaging process, which removes the protective outer coating of the egg and allows for ingress of harmful microorganisms. The eggs must then be refrigerated to inhibit bacterial growth.

    Eggs in Japan (and many other countries) aren’t subject to this process, so they’re safe to keep at room temperature (within reason; I’d avoid midsummer temps without air conditioning).

  9. The expiry date on eggs tells you when it is safe to consume raw. After expiry date, cook before eat

  10. Other people say the eggs are scanned/checked for salmonella.
    I’ve heard that the chickens are vaccinated for salmonella, which isn’t done in the US.
    Either way, you should be good to eat raw egg as long as you eat before expiration, as others have said

  11. I work in food industry here in Japan for a major company, with a history in food safety / quality.

    While it is -safer- to have raw eggs in japan due to quality control of the chickens (note, not the eggs), there is always inherent risk in eating raw animal products (yes including sashimi) and really raw food in general. It’s never just fully okay to consider safe. People get food poisoning from lettuce and spinach relatively often.

    On the plus side, the risk is really quite minimal so you can enjoy most of the raw food here (you should still stay away from raw chicken).

  12. Veterinarian here. Raw eggs cannot be fully digested by the human body. When eaten raw, most of the nutrients are not absorbed and are just eliminated in your faeces. You would be wasting your money.

    When you cook them, though, the proteins in the egg are broken down, making it much easier to enter your cells.

  13. I eat more raw eggs than I do cooked, a few hundred a year. I have never gotten sick.

    TKG life.

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