Pasteurised eggs guaranteed to be free of salmonella will go on sale next year so that pregnant women, children and the elderly can eat runny yolks.

Pasteurised eggs guaranteed to be free of salmonella will go on sale next year so that pregnant women, children and the elderly can eat runny yolks.

Government advice is that these groups should avoid raw and lightly cooked eggs because of a small risk of the eggs being infected with salmonella bacteria. However, Sainsbury's, the supermarket chain, has developed a way of heating raw eggs without cooking them, to destroy any harmful bacteria.

If trials show consumers find the eggs palatable, the first batches, which will be clearly labelled, are scheduled to go on sale within the next 12 months, the company said. Alec Kyriakides, Sainsbury's chief microbiologist, said: "Being able to pasteurise eggs is fantastic news for both the industry and shoppers.

"Developing a simple natural process which eliminates this risk [of salmonella] is a major leap forward in food safety. Our trials ... are going extremely well and we hope to have them on sale next year."