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Can I eat a sunny side up egg while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

A sunny side up egg has a runny yolk, and the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand ask for eggs cooked until the yolk is firm in pregnancy. The UK is the exception: the NHS accepts runny yolks from British Lion or Laid in Britain hen eggs. Doola Scan shows Check for sunny side up eggs in all six countries, and Avoid in Canada for runny-yolk eggs, where Health Canada makes no exception for stamped eggs. Cooked until the yolk is firm, a fried egg is No known issues everywhere.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Sunny side up egg, not flipped, with a runny yolk

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomAustraliaNew ZealandIrelandAvoidCanada

  • Other runny-yolk eggs: over easy, dippy or soft-boiled

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomAustraliaNew ZealandIrelandAvoidCanada

  • Fried until the yolk is firm, in a covered pan or flipped

    No known issuesIn all six countries
Doola Scan checking a plate
What each country says

Sunny side up egg while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on sunny side up egg, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.

  • Doola has no source from Ireland on this yet; its answer comes from the other countries' guidance.

  • United States

    • Sunny side up egg, not flipped, with a runny yolkCheck
    • Other runny-yolk eggs: over easy, dippy or soft-boiledCheck
    • Fried until the yolk is firm, in a covered pan or flippedNo known issues
    • FDACook eggs until yolk and white are firm; recipes with raw or runny eggs only with pasteurized eggs.Source
    • FDARaw eggs can carry salmonella.Source
    • FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Cook eggs until yolks and whites are firm; egg dishes to 160°F.Source

  • United Kingdom

    • Sunny side up egg, not flipped, with a runny yolkCheck
    • Other runny-yolk eggs: over easy, dippy or soft-boiledCheck
    • Fried until the yolk is firm, in a covered pan or flippedNo known issues
    • FSAWhen eating out, pregnant people should make sure eggs are thoroughly cooked, as they may not be British Lion or Laid in Britain.Source
    • NHSNon-Lion eggs are more likely to carry salmonella.Source
    • NHSBritish Lion or Laid in Britain hen eggs can be eaten raw or runny; other eggs only well-cooked.Source

  • Canada

    • Sunny side up egg, not flipped, with a runny yolkAvoid
    • Other runny-yolk eggs: over easy, dippy or soft-boiledAvoid
    • Fried until the yolk is firm, in a covered pan or flippedNo known issues
    • CPSAvoid raw egg and egg dishes with runny yolk.Source
    • Health CanadaCook eggs until the yolks are firm; no exception for stamped or certified eggs.Source
    • Health CanadaCook eggs until yolks are firm; egg dishes to 74°C.Source

  • Australia

    • Sunny side up egg, not flipped, with a runny yolkCheck
    • Other runny-yolk eggs: over easy, dippy or soft-boiledCheck
    • Fried until the yolk is firm, in a covered pan or flippedNo known issues
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Cook eggs until whites and yolks are hard; no runny-egg exception.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Cook eggs until whites and yolks are hard.Source

  • New Zealand

    • Sunny side up egg, not flipped, with a runny yolkCheck
    • Other runny-yolk eggs: over easy, dippy or soft-boiledCheck
    • Fried until the yolk is firm, in a covered pan or flippedNo known issues
    • Health NZCook eggs well (firm yolks); no raw eggs.Source
    • Health NZCook eggs well with firm yolks; raw-egg dishes: don't eat.Source
What to check

Before you eat sunny side up egg.

  1. Cook it until the yolk is firm

    A sunny side up yolk stays runny because the top never meets the pan. The FDA asks for eggs cooked until yolks and whites are firm, and suggests 2 to 3 minutes a side for fried eggs, or 4 minutes in a covered pan. A lid lets the top cook without flipping. FDA

  2. In the UK, look for the red lion stamp

    The NHS says British Lion or Laid in Britain hen eggs can be eaten with a runny yolk, as long as they're eaten before the use-by date. Other hen eggs, and duck, goose and quail eggs, should only be eaten well cooked. NHS

  3. At a cafe or brunch, order the yolk cooked hard

    The FSA asks pregnant people eating out to make sure eggs are thoroughly cooked, because a cafe's eggs may not be British Lion or Laid in Britain. Asking for the egg over hard, or the yolk cooked through, does that. FSA

  4. For a runny yolk in the US, use pasteurised eggs

    The FDA's advice is to cook eggs until yolk and white are firm, and to use pasteurised eggs for recipes with raw or runny eggs. Pasteurised eggs say so on the carton. FDA

Questions

About sunny side up egg
in pregnancy.

A sunny side up egg is fried on one side only, so the yolk stays runny. The NHS says eggs without the British Lion stamp carry more risk of salmonella when raw or partly cooked, and the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand ask for firm yolks in pregnancy.

The NHS says British Lion or Laid in Britain hen eggs can be eaten with a runny yolk, before the use-by date. Other hen eggs should only be eaten well cooked, so Doola Scan shows Check in the UK: look for the stamp.

The FDA and FoodSafety.gov ask for eggs cooked until yolks and whites are firm, unless they're pasteurised. Health Canada asks for firm yolks with no exception for stamped eggs, so Doola Scan shows Avoid for runny-yolk eggs in Canada.

Australia's Pregnancy Birth and Baby says to make sure eggs are cooked until the whites and yolks are hard. Health NZ asks for eggs cooked well, with firm yolks. Ireland's HSE lists foods made with raw or under-cooked eggs among foods to avoid in pregnancy.

It depends on the yolk. A covered pan cooks the top, and the FDA suggests 4 minutes covered for fried eggs; if the yolk ends up firm, it matches the fried egg that Doola Scan shows as No known issues in all six countries.

The egg guidance is the same all through pregnancy. None of the six countries changes it by trimester.

The NHS lists eggs among the protein foods to eat every day in pregnancy. Cooked the way your country's guidance asks, they count.

They have runny yolks too, so the same lines apply: firm yolks in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and British Lion or Laid in Britain eggs if runny in the UK. Doola Scan shows Avoid for runny-yolk eggs in Canada and Check elsewhere.

The guidance is about how to cook eggs next time. If you feel unwell or are unsure, talk to your midwife or doctor.

Yes. Take a photo of the menu or the plate, and Doola Scan marks each dish against your country's pregnancy guidance, with what to ask. 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.

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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.