Caesar dressing made with raw egg is on the avoid lists of Australia, New Zealand and Ireland; bottled dressing made with pasteurised egg is a different case. For homemade or kitchen-made dressing, Doola Scan shows Avoid in those three countries and Check in the US, UK and Canada. The US and Canada accept raw-egg foods made with pasteurised egg, and the UK accepts them made with British Lion or Laid in Britain hen eggs. For a bottled dressing made with pasteurised egg, Doola Scan shows Check in all six: read the label.
Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated
Homemade caesar dressing with raw egg
CheckAvoid
Caesar dressing made in a restaurant kitchen
CheckAvoid
Bottled or shop-bought dressing made with pasteurised egg
CheckIn all six countries
Doola Scan checking a plate
What each country says
Caesar dressing while pregnant: what each country says.
Each country's own pregnancy guidance on caesar dressing, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.
United States
Check
FDAAvoid raw or undercooked eggs and foods containing them; foods made with pasteurized eggs are fine.Source
FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Foods with raw or lightly cooked eggs only with pasteurised eggs.Source
Anchovies in the dressing
FDAFish is recommended but amounts limit mercury exposure.Source
FDAEat 2 to 3 servings (4 oz each) a week from Best Choices (salmon, sardines, herring, Atlantic mackerel); king mackerel is avoid.Source
United Kingdom
Check
NHSRaw eggs that are not Lion-stamped may carry salmonella.Source
NHSRaw-egg foods like mayonnaise and mousse fine if made with British Lion or Laid in Britain hen eggs.Source
Anchovies in the dressing
NHSTrying for a baby or pregnant: max 2 oily fish portions (140g) a week; tuna max 4 cans or 2 steaks a week.Source
NHSOily fish can contain pollutants that build up in the body.Source
Canada
Check
CPSAvoid raw egg and egg dishes with runny yolk.Source
Health CanadaAvoid raw-egg foods (homemade mayonnaise, batter, ice cream) unless made with pasteurized liquid eggs.Source
CPSAvoid raw egg and egg dishes with runny yolk, such as eggnog.Source
Health CanadaAvoid foods with raw egg: some dressings, sauces, cookie dough, cake batter, homemade eggnog (unless heated to 71 °C).Source
Anchovies in the dressing
Health CanadaLow-mercury fish encouraged with no weekly amount; limit only fresh/frozen tuna, shark, swordfish, marlin, orange roughy, escolar.Source
Health CanadaLow-mercury oily fish (salmon, herring, mackerel, trout) encouraged; no weekly cap.Source
Australia
Homemade caesar dressing with raw eggAvoid
Caesar dressing made in a restaurant kitchenAvoid
Bottled or shop-bought dressing made with pasteurised eggCheck
NSW Food AuthorityDo not eat raw egg in food (home-made mayonnaise, aioli, mousse, batter).Source
Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)No homemade mayonnaise, aioli, mousse or raw cake batter; commercial mayo/custard OK.Source
FSANZSafer alternatives to raw egg dishes: pasteurised eggs, commercial custard and dressings.Source
Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Commercially made products with egg (e.g. shop mayonnaise) are fine; not homemade mayonnaise, aioli, mousse or raw cake batter.Source
Anchovies in the dressing
Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Other fish or seafood no more than 2 to 3 times a week (150 g serve).Source
Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Fish not high in mercury no more than 2 to 3 times a week; no separate oily-fish limit.Source
New Zealand
Homemade caesar dressing with raw eggAvoid
Caesar dressing made in a restaurant kitchenAvoid
Bottled or shop-bought dressing made with pasteurised eggCheck
MPI (NZ Food Safety)Avoid raw eggs (smoothies, mayonnaise, mousse).Source
Health NZRaw eggs in eggnog, smoothies, home-made mayonnaise, mousse, tiramisu etc: don't eat; no pasteurised-egg exception.Source
Anchovies in the dressing
Health NZMost commonly eaten NZ fish can be eaten freely; low-mercury species need no restriction.Source
Health NZNo pollutant-based oily fish cap; farmed salmon and mackerel 3-4 servings a week, sardines and anchovy unrestricted.Source
Ireland
Homemade caesar dressing with raw eggAvoid
Caesar dressing made in a restaurant kitchenAvoid
Bottled or shop-bought dressing made with pasteurised eggCheck
HSEAvoid foods made with raw or under-cooked eggs, e.g. homemade mayonnaise; cook eggs thoroughly.Source
HSEAvoid foods made with raw or under-cooked eggs, such as homemade mayonnaise.Source
What to check
Before you eat caesar dressing.
Read the bottle's label
Look for pasteurised egg in the ingredients. The FDA says commercial dressings contain pasteurised eggs, and Australia's FSANZ names commercial dressings as an alternative to raw-egg dishes. Once opened, keep it in the fridge as the label says. FDA
Making it at home: swap the raw yolk
Use pasteurised liquid egg in place of the raw yolk, as Health Canada suggests for raw-egg foods that won't be cooked. In the UK, the NHS accepts raw-egg foods made with British Lion or Laid in Britain hen eggs. New Zealand's guidance is not to eat raw-egg dishes at all. Health Canada
Ask in restaurants
Ask whether the caesar dressing is made in the kitchen with raw egg, or comes from a bottle. The FDA's advice is raw-egg foods only with pasteurised eggs, and to ask when eating out. FDA
Questions
About caesar dressing in pregnancy.
Classic caesar dressing is made with raw egg yolk, and raw eggs can carry salmonella. The FDA lists caesar salad dressing among homemade dressings made with raw eggs to avoid. Australia, New Zealand and Ireland advise against raw egg in food, so Doola Scan shows Avoid there.
The FDA says commercial dressings contain pasteurised eggs, and Australia's Pregnancy Birth and Baby accepts commercially made egg products such as mayonnaise. Doola Scan shows Check for bottled dressing made with pasteurised egg in all six countries, so read the label for pasteurised egg.
Doola doesn't know how each chain makes its dressing. Ask the restaurant whether it contains raw egg or pasteurised egg, or check the chain's own published ingredients. The FDA's advice is raw-egg foods only with pasteurised eggs.
Health Canada suggests pasteurised liquid eggs for raw-egg foods that won't be cooked, and the FDA says the same for recipes with raw eggs. In the UK, British Lion or Laid in Britain hen eggs are accepted. Ireland's HSE and New Zealand's guidance advise against homemade raw-egg foods.
The FDA lists anchovies among its Best Choices for fish, which are lower in mercury. Doola Scan counts them as oily fish, and the NHS asks for no more than 2 portions of oily fish a week. New Zealand's guidance doesn't limit anchovies.
The guidance on raw egg is the same all through pregnancy. None of these countries changes it by trimester.
Health Canada asks you to avoid raw-egg foods, such as homemade mayonnaise, unless they're made with pasteurized liquid eggs. For any creamy dressing, the same check applies: bottled with pasteurised egg, or made in a kitchen with raw egg.
The guidance is about what to choose next time: a dressing made with pasteurised egg or, in the UK, British Lion eggs. If you feel unwell or are unsure, talk to your midwife or doctor.
Yes. Take a photo of the bottle's label or the menu, and Doola Scan checks each ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
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Point Doola at a plate, a menu or a label. It checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance and shows its sources. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
Doola shows what official guidance says; it never diagnoses. No known issues means none of these countries' pregnancy guidance names it, not a promise that a food is safe.
Doola Scan's answer in the United States
Avoid
