Hen's Egg (Whole) | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Whole hen's egg (Gallus gallus) is a natural, minimally processed food ingredient composed of egg white (albumin) and egg yolk, widely used for its nutritional value, binding, emulsifying, foaming, and gelling properties in cooking and food manufacturing. It provides high-quality complete protein, essential fats, vitamins (A, D, B12, choline), and minerals.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Eggs are broadly safe and nutritious for the general adult population, with no established ADI or regulatory intake cap. The principal safety concern is egg allergy, one of the most common food allergies globally, mandating allergen labelling in all major jurisdictions. High dietary cholesterol from eggs has been debated in relation to cardiovascular risk, but evidence of harm at moderate intakes (below ~0.5 eggs/day) is weak; raw or undercooked eggs carry a Salmonella contamination risk.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) (Australia)	Approved	Eggs are a conventional food ingredient. Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code Standard 1.2.3 mandates allergen declaration for egg and egg products on food labels.source
Health Canada (Canada)	Approved	Eggs are approved as a conventional food. The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations require mandatory allergen labelling for egg and its derivatives.source
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Eggs are approved as a conventional food. EU Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 and Directive 2003/89/EC mandate mandatory declaration of egg and egg-derived ingredients as one of the 14 major food allergens on all food labels.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Eggs are permitted as a conventional food ingredient under FSSAI Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. Products containing egg must declare it on the label; non-vegetarian symbol (brown/red dot) is mandatory.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Egg Allergy — Egg is one of the most common food allergens globally; IgE-mediated reactions range from hives to life-threatening anaphylaxis, and avoidance is the only established management strategy per EFSA and FAO/WHO guidance.

Infants — Infants with atopic eczema or a family history of allergy are at heightened risk of hen's egg allergy; well-cooked egg should be introduced carefully (ideally between 4–6 months under guidance), and raw or undercooked egg should be avoided per EFSA and EAACI recommendations.

Children — Egg allergy affects 0.5–2.5% of young children and accounts for approximately 75% of food-allergic reactions in this age group; children with eczema or known sensitisation require medical supervision before egg introduction.

Heart Disease — Patients at elevated cardiovascular risk may be advised to limit egg yolk consumption due to its high dietary cholesterol content (~215–275 mg per yolk), which can increase LDL-C in cholesterol hyper-responders per published clinical guidance.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1WHO. Risk Assessment of Food Allergens Part 4: Establishing Exemptions from Allergen Labelling — FAO/WHO Expert Consultation, 2023. openknowledge.fao.org
2PubMed. Egg and Dietary Cholesterol Intake and Risk of All-Cause, Cardiovascular, and Cancer Mortality: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies, 2022. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3PubMed. The Impact of Egg Nutrient Composition and Its Consumption on Cholesterol Homeostasis, 2018. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4EFSA. Scientific Opinion on the evaluation of allergenic foods and food ingredients for labelling purposes, 2014. efsa.europa.eu
5PubMed. Current understanding of egg allergy, 2011. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
6EFSA. EFSA provides scientific basis for labelling of food allergens: current evidence does not allow determination of intake thresholds, 2004.

Independently researched6 citations