A small number of meats can be eaten raw with relative safety, but none are completely risk-free. The meats most commonly consumed raw are certain cuts of beef, specific types of fish, and, in some culinary traditions, lamb and horse. Poultry, pork, and ground meats of any kind carry significantly higher risks and are widely considered unsafe to eat uncooked.
Beef: The Most Common Raw Meat
Beef is the meat most frequently eaten raw in Western cuisine, appearing in dishes like steak tartare, carpaccio, and beef tataki. The key factor is which cut you’re eating and how it was handled. Whole muscle cuts from the interior of the animal, where bacteria haven’t reached the surface, are far safer than anything that’s been ground or pierced. Lean cuts like tenderloin (psoas major) and loin (longissimus dorsi) are preferred for raw preparations because they have less connective tissue, a more tender texture, and a deep red color.
The primary danger with raw beef is E. coli O157:H7, a bacterium found in the digestive tracts of cattle. The United States has a zero-tolerance policy for this pathogen in raw beef products, but contamination still occurs. In 2019, raw ground beef was linked to an outbreak of a related strain across 10 U.S. states, causing 209 reported illnesses and 29 hospitalizations. Earlier outbreaks tied to steak tartare in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark each sickened dozens of people, with some developing hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious kidney condition.
The critical distinction is between whole cuts and ground beef. When meat is ground, bacteria from the surface get mixed throughout. A solid piece of high-quality tenderloin sourced from a reputable butcher, kept below 40°F from slaughter to plate, and consumed quickly is a very different proposition from a package of pre-ground supermarket beef.
Fish: Safer With Proper Freezing
Raw fish is arguably the most widely accepted raw meat globally, served as sushi, sashimi, ceviche, poke, and crudo. The main concern with raw fish isn’t bacteria but parasites, and there’s a well-established solution: freezing.
The FDA requires that fish intended for raw consumption be frozen to kill parasites. The approved methods are: holding at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days, or blast freezing at -31°F (-35°C) until solid and then storing at that temperature for 15 hours, or blast freezing at -31°F until solid and storing at -4°F for 24 hours. Reputable sushi restaurants and fish markets that sell “sushi-grade” or “sashimi-grade” fish follow these protocols.
Certain species are considered lower risk. Tuna is naturally more resistant to parasites and is one of the safest choices for raw consumption. Farm-raised salmon, fed controlled diets, also carries lower parasite risk than wild-caught, though both are routinely frozen before being sold for raw use. Freshwater fish and wild salmon have higher parasite loads and should never be eaten raw without proper freezing.
Lamb: A Cultural Tradition With Real Risks
Raw lamb appears in kibbeh nayyeh, a traditional Middle Eastern and North African dish made with finely ground lamb or beef, cracked wheat, onion, and spices. While deeply rooted in culinary tradition, the USDA has specifically warned against eating it raw. Ground lamb carries the same fundamental problem as ground beef: bacteria from the meat’s surface get distributed throughout during grinding, and no amount of careful sourcing or temperature control can guarantee safety.
Dangerous bacteria including E. coli and Salmonella are commonly present in raw lamb. Kibbeh nayyeh has been directly linked to foodborne illness outbreaks. Traditional practices like controlling meat temperature and grinding with freshly cleaned blades reduce risk but cannot eliminate it. The only temperature that makes ground lamb safe is 160°F internally.
Meats You Should Never Eat Raw
Poultry
Chicken and turkey are the most dangerous meats to consume raw. A UK Food Standards Agency survey found that 50% of retail chicken tested positive for Campylobacter, one of the most common causes of food poisoning. Fresh chicken had even higher rates at 56%. Salmonella was found on nearly 6% of samples overall, with frozen chicken contaminated at more than double the rate of fresh (10.4% versus 4.0%). These pathogens live on and inside poultry muscle tissue, not just on the surface, making it impossible to “trim away” the risk. Even the Japanese dish torisashi (raw chicken) is considered a high-risk food by food safety authorities.
Pork
Pork’s reputation as unsafe when raw comes from its historical association with Trichinella, a parasite that causes the disease trichinosis. Modern commercial pork production has largely eliminated this risk. A USDA survey of 3.2 million pigs raised under quality assurance programs found zero animals infected with Trichinella, giving 95% confidence that the prevalence is less than 1 in a million. However, pork still carries risks from other pathogens like Salmonella and is not recommended raw. Wild boar and other non-commercial pork remain genuine trichinosis risks.
Wild Game
Venison, elk, bear, and other wild game carry parasite risks that make raw consumption dangerous. White-tailed deer are a major wildlife reservoir for Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis. Depending on the region, anywhere from 22% to 74% of white-tailed deer test positive for the parasite. Even in healthy people with normal immune function, undercooked venison has caused primary ocular toxoplasmosis, an eye infection that can damage vision. Freezing reduces the risk somewhat, but tissue cysts can survive in refrigerated meat for up to 3 weeks and in frozen meat for more than 11 days.
Why Raw Meat Digests Differently
There’s a nutritional angle to raw meat that surprises many people. Raw meat is actually easier for your body to break down at the protein level. Cooking causes meat proteins to shrink, harden, and form cross-links that make them more resistant to your digestive enzymes. In raw meat, digestive enzymes can attack the protein fibers from all directions. In cooked meat, they’re forced to work from the edges of each fiber toward the center, slowing the process.
Prolonged cooking (30 minutes or more) reduces the release of certain amino acids, including tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine. That said, cooking also kills pathogens and makes many nutrients more accessible in other ways, so raw meat’s digestibility advantage doesn’t translate into a blanket health benefit.
Raw Organ Meats: An Extra Layer of Risk
Raw liver has gained popularity in some wellness communities, but it carries a unique danger beyond bacteria: vitamin A toxicity. Liver contains the highest concentration of vitamin A of any food, and consuming it raw and regularly can lead to hypervitaminosis A. Acute toxicity from very high doses causes severe headaches, nausea, blurred vision, and muscle pain. Chronic overexposure, typically from eating liver daily for months, leads to dry skin, joint pain, fatigue, depression, and liver damage including cirrhosis. Infants are especially vulnerable. Two 7-month-old twins developed toxicity symptoms after just four months of being fed chicken liver daily.
Liver from predatory animals like bears and seals contains especially concentrated levels of vitamin A and has caused toxicity from single meals.
What Makes Raw Meat Safer
If you choose to eat raw meat, certain practices meaningfully reduce your risk. Source whole muscle cuts rather than ground meat. Buy from butchers who can tell you about the animal’s origin and handling. Confirm the cold chain was maintained: meat should stay below 40°F from processing to your plate, and any break in refrigeration accelerates bacterial growth. Consume raw meat the same day it’s cut. Use clean, sanitized cutting surfaces and utensils.
For fish, buy only from suppliers who follow FDA freezing protocols, or freeze it yourself at home for at least 7 days at -4°F. Note that most home freezers don’t reliably reach the temperatures needed for faster freezing methods.
Certain people should avoid raw meat entirely: adults over 65, children under 5, pregnant women, and anyone with a weakened immune system. These groups face higher risks of severe illness and complications from the same pathogens that a healthy adult’s body might fight off.