Image of egg inside rice: Source: Daily Meal
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: A Facebook user, Ilera loro pelu Kaothar, claims that cooking rice together with eggs is poisonous.
Verdict: Misleading. While DUBAWA’s findings reveal eggshells sometimes contain faeces and bacteria, washing them before cooking and boiling at 70 degrees Celsius helps eliminate these bacteria. Research recommends cooking eggs separately, but there is no scientific evidence to suggest that eggshells contain toxic substances that render food poisonous when cooked.
Full Text
A Facebook page, Ilera loro pelu Kaothar, shared a video claiming that cooking eggs with their shells inside rice is unhealthy.
In the video, a woman speaking in Yoruba stated that eggs are often dirty and that cooking them together with rice is unsafe. She alleged that eggshells contain poultry faeces, invisible bacteria, and toxins that cannot be removed even after washing the eggs. According to her, while boiling may kill bacteria, it does not eliminate toxins, making the food harmful.
She said, “The eggshell contains invisible bacteria that washing cannot completely remove, along with toxins. Boiling may kill the bacteria, but it does not eliminate the toxins.”
As of Dec. 25, 2025, the post had attracted over 5,900 likes, 1,800 shares, and 717 comments.
Several users reacted differently to the claim. A Facebook user, Fire Prevention Secret – Asiri Atidena Ijamba Ina, commented, “How do we live now? 90% of people here cook eggs along with rice.”
Another user, Taiye Bisiryu, asked, “What if we put the egg in a nylon bag before cooking together?”
Ovayah Shaheed Nana Fatimah wrote, “I hate boiling eggs in my rice simultaneously.”
Some users described the practice as dirty, arguing that eggshells cannot be completely clean. In contrast, others noted that many people cook eggs and rice together mainly to save time and energy.
DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim because cooking rice with eggs is a common household practice in many Nigerian homes, and a claim suggesting it is poisonous could easily cause unnecessary fear, confusion, or changes in food habits.
Verification
Eggshells are mainly made of calcium carbonate, a naturally occurring mineral commonly used in food supplements and considered safe for human consumption when properly prepared.
However, eggshells can carry harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli, particularly on the outer surface, especially if contaminated with poultry droppings. These bacteria can cause foodborne illness if food hygiene is poor.
An academic study found that rice cooked with unwashed eggs still in their shells showed detectable levels of E. coli and Salmonella, while rice cooked with properly washed eggs did not. This suggests that the risk is associated with hygiene practices rather than any poisonous substance in the eggshell itself.
According to the researchers, toxins and metabolites that can adversely affect human health may be present in egg shells. They therefore advised that rice and eggs should not be cooked together in the same medium (pot). For safety reasons, the researchers recommended that individuals boil rice and eggs separately, using different pots to avoid cross-contamination.
E. coli and Salmonella are common causes of food poisoning. Symptoms often include diarrhoea, stomach cramps, fever, and vomiting. In severe cases, some strains of E. coli can cause bloody diarrhoea and kidney complications. These infections are preventable through proper washing, thorough cooking, and safe food handling.
Poison, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is any toxic substance that makes a person sick or causes them harm. So the claim that cooking rice and egg can be poisonous is valid, but is it true that boiling does not eliminate these toxic substances?
What Experts Say
A dietician, Shoretire Micheal, explained that contamination with cooking eggs comes from dirt or biological materials on the eggshell. This contamination, he added, can be prevented with proper hygiene practices when cooking.
“Most of this can be removed through proper washing, including washing with salt water, and subsequent cooking at high temperatures,” he said.
Emmanuel Oyebamiji, a dietician and researcher at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, explained that cooking eggs at sufficiently high temperatures destroys the harmful microorganisms present in them. This contradicts the claimant’s claim that boiling does not remove the toxins.
“Cooking eggs above 70 degrees Celsius (153 degrees Fahrenheit) kills most pathogens,” he said.
“When eggs are cooked together with other foods like rice, the temperature is generally high enough to eliminate bacteria.”
He added that cross-contamination is mainly a concern when raw eggs come into contact with foods that will not be cooked further, such as salads, but in this case, where the egg is cooked along with the food, the heat eliminates pathogens like Salmonella.
Conclusion
While it is true that eggshells can contain bacteria and dirt, and poor hygiene, such as cooking rice with unwashed eggs, can increase the risk of bacterial contamination, there is no scientific evidence that cooking rice with eggshells makes the food poisonous. Additionally, experts have noted that cooking eggs above 70 degrees Celsius (153 degrees Fahrenheit) kills most pathogens. Proper washing of eggs and adequate cooking remain essential for ensuring food safety.
