Eating raw meat carries real risk of bacterial and parasitic infection, and government food safety agencies explicitly recommend against it. That said, certain raw meat dishes like beef tartare and carpaccio are served in restaurants around the world using specific sourcing and handling practices designed to reduce (not eliminate) the danger. Whether the risk is acceptable depends on the type of meat, how it’s prepared, and your personal health.
Why Raw Meat Is Risky
Raw and undercooked meat can harbor bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli O157, and Listeria, along with parasitic worms like Trichinella. These organisms are normally destroyed by cooking to proper internal temperatures, but they survive and thrive in raw meat, especially when it’s stored in the temperature range between 40°F and 140°F, where bacteria multiply rapidly.
In the United States, roughly 9.9 million people get sick from major foodborne pathogens each year, leading to about 53,300 hospitalizations and 931 deaths. Chicken, pork, and beef are significant contributors: chicken alone accounts for about 19% of Salmonella illnesses, followed by pork at nearly 12% and beef at close to 8%. Beef is also linked to roughly 19% of E. coli O157 illnesses. These numbers reflect all foodborne illness from these meats, not just raw consumption, but they illustrate how commonly these pathogens show up in animal products.
Some Meats Are Far More Dangerous Than Others
Not all raw meat carries the same level of risk. Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, and other birds) should never be eaten raw. These animals have extremely high rates of Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination, and no preparation method short of cooking makes them safe.
Raw pork and wild game are dangerous because of Trichinella, a parasitic worm that embeds in muscle tissue. Even tasting a small amount of undercooked pork or wild game during preparation can cause infection. Trichinella larvae are not reliably killed by curing, drying, smoking, or microwaving. Freezing works for some pork products but not for wild game, because certain Trichinella species that infect wild animals like bear, wild boar, and walrus are freeze-resistant.
Beef and certain farmed meats (veal, bison, farmed boar, farmed red deer) are considered the lowest-risk options for raw consumption. Bacteria on whole cuts of beef tend to stay on the outer surface rather than penetrating deep into the muscle, which is why a rare steak is generally considered safe while a rare hamburger is not.
Ground Meat Is Never Safe Raw
The distinction between whole muscle cuts and ground meat is critical. When meat is ground, the surface bacteria get mixed throughout the entire product. A steak might only have contamination on its exterior, which searing can address. Ground beef has no safe interior. The USDA specifically warns against eating or tasting raw or undercooked ground beef and recommends cooking it to an internal temperature of 160°F. This applies to homemade sausage and any preparation where the meat has been mechanically tenderized or pierced with needles, since those processes also push surface bacteria deeper into the tissue.
How Restaurants Reduce the Risk
When restaurants serve beef tartare or similar dishes, they follow specific protocols that go well beyond picking up a package of meat from the grocery store. The meat must be high quality, as fresh as possible, and kept between 32°F and 39°F from purchase to plating. Only whole, intact cuts are used, never ground meat from a supplier.
One key technique is trimming or searing the exterior. A chef will either sear the meat on all sides and then remove the cooked outer layer to expose the untouched interior, or manually trim away roughly 5 mm (about an eighth to a quarter inch) of surface meat from every side. The trimmed or seared interior is then sliced or ground fresh using clean, sanitized equipment. Once prepared, raw dishes are meant to be eaten within 24 hours.
For raw fish served as sushi or sashimi, a separate set of rules applies. Most fish must be frozen before it can be served raw: either held at -4°F for seven days, or frozen at -31°F until solid and stored for at least 15 hours. This kills parasites. Certain farmed fish and some tuna species are exempt because they’re considered parasite-free. There is no equivalent freezing protocol that makes raw poultry or wild game safe.
Who Should Avoid Raw Meat Entirely
Certain groups face not just a higher chance of getting sick but more severe consequences if they do. The FDA advises these populations to avoid all raw and undercooked meat:
- Pregnant women: Pregnancy suppresses parts of the immune system, raising the risk of infection. Foodborne illness during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth, or serious illness in a newborn.
- Children under 5: Their immune systems are still developing and cannot fight off infections as effectively as older children or adults.
- Adults 65 and older: Aging slows the body’s ability to recognize and eliminate harmful bacteria.
- People with weakened immune systems: This includes those with cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, autoimmune diseases, or organ transplants. Both the diseases themselves and their treatments can compromise immune function. Diabetes also slows digestion, giving harmful bacteria more time to multiply in the gut.
For these groups, the risk-to-reward ratio of eating raw meat simply does not make sense. A foodborne infection that might cause a few days of discomfort in a healthy adult can lead to hospitalization or death in someone who is immunocompromised.
If You Choose to Eat Raw Meat
If you’re a healthy adult who wants to eat dishes like beef tartare, carpaccio, or kitfo, you can lower your risk by following the same principles professional kitchens use. Start with the freshest, highest-quality beef you can find from a trusted butcher. Use whole muscle cuts only. Trim or sear away the outer surface before cutting into the interior. Keep everything cold throughout preparation, use clean cutting boards and knives for each step, and eat the dish immediately.
Avoid raw chicken, raw pork, and raw wild game under all circumstances. Never eat raw ground meat from a store, even if it looks fresh. And recognize that no preparation method makes raw meat completely free of risk. You’re managing the danger, not eliminating it.