A post made on Instagram claims that Belgium Health Minister Maggie De Block cautioned against eating more than five eggs in one week.

Verdict: Misleading

There is no evidence of this quote. According to a 2023 journal article, Belgium’s recommendation is to eat no more than seven eggs per week.

Fact Check:

Social media users are claiming that De Block warned citizens against eating more than five eggs in one week. One such Instagram post, for example, has a quote that appears under a photo of De Block. The quote reads, “more than 5 eggs per week can be dangerous for health.” This post has more than 50,000 likes.

This claim, though, appears to be unfounded. There is no evidence of De Block stating the quote included in the post. (RELATED: No, Australia Did Not Mandate ‘Food Rations’ To Prepare For Bird Flu Pandemic)

According to  a 2023 journal article available on the National Institute of Health’s National Library of Medicine website, Belgium’s advice is to eat no more than seven eggs per week. Text from the article reads, “In the Flemish region of Belgium, the advice is to ‘eat no more than seven eggs per week otherwise you may increase your risk of diabetes.”

The European Commission last updated its website on October 17, 2024 to reflect the existing dietary guidelines for eggs for the EU, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The current dietary guidelines for the Belgian adult population were written in 2019 and do not caution against eating 5 or more eggs per week. The EU’s summary of Belgium’s recommendations for egg consumption reads, “Poultry, eggs or other meat substitutes: 1 to 3 times per week.”

Check Your Fact has reached out to Belgium’s Federal Public Service (FPS) Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment for comment.