Raw beetroot: is it dangerous? What the French food safety agency says
The short answer
Raw beetroot is not a forbidden food, but the French health authorities recommend caution. In 2014, four collective food poisoning outbreaks affected nearly 450 children in school canteens in France, all linked to grated raw beetroot. The symptoms, vomiting and abdominal pain, appeared 15 to 30 minutes after the start of the meal. The French food safety agency (Anses) did not find the cause and suggested, as a precaution, no longer serving grated raw beetroot in school canteens and care homes. Cooked beetroot, eaten that way for generations, does not pose this problem.
This article is for information only and does not replace medical advice.
What happened in 2014
Anses was asked to investigate by the DGCCRF (the French consumer protection authority) after a series of collective food poisoning outbreaks in schools:
| Region | Establishments | People taken ill |
|---|---|---|
| Alsace and Nord-Pas-de-Calais | 20 schools | more than 250 children |
| Midi-Pyrénées (beetroot of Spanish origin) | 12 schools | about 150 children |
| Other outbreak | catering for communities | 22 children and 3 adults |
In every outbreak, the investigations found an association with grated raw beetroot, and none with the other foods in the meal. The symptoms were quick, vomiting and abdominal pain within a quarter of an hour to half an hour after the meal, which points to a toxin or a chemical substance rather than a classic infection.
Why? The leads Anses explored
Anses reviewed several hypotheses, without being able to reach a conclusion:
- Bacteria, notably of the Pseudomonas genus, with no proof of their role.
- Toxins produced by bacteria or moulds, such as Fusarium.
- A chemical contaminant, another lead that was not confirmed.
- Substances naturally present in beetroot, detailed below.
| Substance | What Anses says |
|---|---|
| Nitrates | beetroot naturally contains more than 1,000 mg per kilo; it is not subject to a maximum level in Europe, unlike spinach and lettuce; cooking greatly reduces nitrates and nitrites in vegetables |
| Oxalates | mainly in the leaves, but the root can contain 3 to 6 g per kilo; they can cause digestive problems |
| Saponins | naturally present, could cause gastrointestinal problems |
The Anses expert committee stresses that garden beetroot has traditionally been eaten cooked for generations, and that this practice may rest on an empirical knowledge of the risks of raw beetroot. Hence its suggestion, « as a precaution, pending a better understanding of the phenomena observed, not to serve grated raw beetroot in the catering services of educational establishments and care homes », a solution already adopted successfully in Finland.
The traffic lights of beetroot
| Form | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked beetroot, in salads, soup, roasted | 🟢 no known risk | traditional form; cooking reduces nitrates and nitrites |
| Vacuum-packed cooked beetroot from the shops | 🟢 no known risk | keep chilled and eat before the date |
| Homemade grated raw beetroot, in small amounts | 🟠 caution | not banned, but the origin of the 2014 poisonings was never explained |
| Grated raw beetroot in catering for communities, for children or older people | 🔴 not recommended | Anses suggestion |
| Raw beetroot juice, in quantity | 🟠 caution | concentrated in nitrates |
| Beetroot leaves | 🟠 cooked and in moderate amounts | much richer in oxalates than the root |
Raw or cooked: what changes on the plate
| 100 g of beetroot | Calories | Sugars | Fibre | Potassium | Vitamin C | Iron |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw | 40 kcal | 6.3 g | 2.8 g | 325 mg | 4.9 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Cooked | 42 kcal | 6.7 g | 2.5 g | 320 mg | less than 0.5 mg | 0.3 mg |
Raw or cooked, beetroot provides roughly the same calories, sugars, fibre and potassium. Cooking mainly loses vitamin C, which beetroot is not a great source of anyway. In other words, choosing cooked beetroot costs you almost nothing nutritionally.
Folate: the strength of raw beetroot
There is one nutrient for which raw beetroot does clearly better than cooked: folate, or vitamin B9. It is sensitive to heat and to cooking water.
| Per 100 g | Folate | Share of the 600 µg recommended during pregnancy |
|---|---|---|
| Raw red beetroot | 109 µg | 18% |
| Cooked red beetroot | 12.4 µg | 2% |
Cooking therefore loses nearly nine tenths of the folate. That is an argument for raw beetroot at home, where nothing forbids it, as long as you take a few precautions: wash it, peel it, grate it at the last moment and eat it quickly. During pregnancy, raw vegetables must in any case be washed thoroughly because of toxoplasmosis.
If you prefer to follow Anses’s caution and eat cooked beetroot, folate is also found in leafy green vegetables, pulses and citrus fruit. And in early pregnancy, the folic acid supplementation recommended in France remains essential, whatever your menu.
Beetroot and blood sugar
Beetroot has a reputation for being sweet, and that is true: about 6.5 g of sugars per 100 g, raw or cooked. But its glycaemic load remains low. International tables give a glycaemic index of 64 for beetroot, measured in Canada, with a glycaemic load of 4 for an 80 g portion, which provides only 7 g of carbohydrate.
In practice, a portion of beetroot as a starter or in a salad has only a limited effect on blood sugar, especially as part of a meal with protein and fibre. If you have diabetes, quantity and what you eat it with are what count: see our guide to type 2 diabetes and diet.
Who should be careful?
Children and older people
These are the groups targeted by the Anses suggestion for catering for communities. At home, nothing forbids raw beetroot, but cooked beetroot is a safer choice for them.
Kidney stones
Beetroot, its leaves especially, contains oxalates. If you have calcium oxalate kidney stones, ask your doctor whether you need to limit how much you eat.
Pregnancy
Raw beetroot, like any raw vegetable, must be washed and peeled thoroughly, because of toxoplasmosis. Cooked, it poses no problem. See diet during pregnancy.
Diabetes
With 6.7 g of sugars per 100 g cooked, beetroot remains a moderately sweet vegetable, which has its place in a balanced meal.
Nitrates: should you worry?
Beetroot is one of the vegetables richest in nitrates: more than 1,000 mg per kilo according to Anses, so more than 100 mg in a 100 g portion. Should you be wary of it?
- The acceptable daily intake of nitrates is 3.7 mg per kilo of body weight, or about 220 mg a day for a person weighing 60 kg. EFSA re-examined this value in 2017 and kept it, noting that the available data did not indicate any genotoxic or carcinogenic potential of nitrates themselves.
- Beetroot, unlike spinach and lettuce, is not subject to a regulatory maximum nitrate level in Europe.
- Cooking in water reduces the nitrate content of vegetables, as some of it passes into the cooking water.
A portion of beetroot from time to time is not a problem for an adult. It is very large and repeated consumption, for example concentrated beetroot juice every day, that can bring you close to or above the acceptable daily intake.
Where do our nitrates really come from?
Beetroot is rich in nitrates, but it is only one source among many. In 2022, Anses published a full assessment of nitrate and nitrite intakes in the French population:
| Source of nitrates | Share of total exposure |
|---|---|
| Food | 75 to 80% |
| of which vegetables | 62 to 69% |
| Water, mainly tap water | 20 to 25% |
| Nitrates added as additives | less than 4% |
In adults, it is mainly leafy vegetables that provide nitrates; in children, pulses, leafy vegetables, fruit and sprouted seeds contribute in roughly equal shares. Above all, total exposure exceeds the acceptable daily intake in fewer than 1.5% of adults and children. The Anses recommendation for plant foods is simple: vary your vegetables rather than cutting one out. That is exactly the logic for beetroot: a portion from time to time, as part of a varied diet, not a concentrated juice every day.
Beetroot juice and sport
Beetroot juice has become popular with athletes, precisely for its nitrates, which the body partly converts into nitric oxide. A 2022 meta-analysis pooling trials in adults found that it sped up the recovery of strength and jumping power in the 24 to 72 hours after intense exercise, and reduced muscle soreness, with no effect on markers of oxidative stress or on creatine kinase, a marker of muscle damage. The authors do point out a risk of bias in all the trials.
If you drink it, keep it for training periods, in reasonable amounts, and not as a daily drink. During pregnancy or for a child, there is no reason to consume large amounts.
Beetroot juice and blood pressure
The nitrates in beetroot have another studied effect: lowering blood pressure. Three pieces of work give a sense of its size:
| Study | Participants | Effect on systolic pressure, the top number |
|---|---|---|
| Meta-analysis of 16 trials, 2013 | 254 adults, interventions lasting from 2 hours to 15 days | drop of 4.4 mmHg; no clear effect on diastolic pressure |
| Meta-analysis of 11 trials, 2024 | 349 people with high blood pressure | drop of 5.3 mmHg with 200 to 800 mg of nitrates a day; low certainty |
| Replicate trial, 2025 | 15 healthy men, 140 ml of nitrate-rich juice | average drop of 7 mmHg, but highly variable from one person to another |
Two remarks. First, the effective doses, 200 to 800 mg of nitrates a day, reach or exceed the acceptable daily intake for a person weighing 60 kg, about 220 mg: that is the whole paradox of beetroot juice. Second, the trials are short and the effect varies a great deal from person to person. If you have high blood pressure, beetroot juice does not replace your treatment; if you are thinking of drinking it every day, talk to your doctor, especially if you already take medication.
Red urine after beetroot: is it normal?
Yes. In some people, the red pigments in beetroot, the betalains, colour the urine and sometimes the stools pink or red. This is harmless. If in doubt, or if the colouring persists without having eaten beetroot, see a doctor: blood in the urine needs to be investigated.
This phenomenon is not rare: according to the reference studies, it affects 10 to 14% of people. It is more common in iron deficiency and in diseases that disrupt absorption in the gut. Pink urine that returns after every portion of beetroot may therefore be an opportunity to mention it to your doctor.
Shop-bought beetroot salad: watch the salt
Beetroot is also sold as a ready-to-eat salad, with its dressing. The Ciqual table lets us compare it with plain cooked beetroot:
| Per 100 g | Cooked red beetroot | Beetroot salad with dressing, pre-packed |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 42 kcal | 59 kcal |
| Sugars | 6.7 g | 5 g |
| Fibre | 2.5 g | 2.7 g |
| Sodium | 90 mg | 320 mg |
| Folate | 12.4 µg | 15.6 µg |
The ready-made salad therefore contains more than three times as much sodium as plain beetroot, and slightly more calories, because of the dressing. To stay in control of the salt, buy plain cooked beetroot and season it yourself. If you still want to benefit from the folate in raw beetroot at home, our raw beetroot and carrot salad is a good base, to be prepared just before the meal. For a cooked and original version, try the beetroot hummus.
How to prepare it well
- Boiled, until a blade slides in easily.
- Roasted in the oven, whole in baking paper, for a sweeter taste.
- Bought cooked, vacuum-packed: convenient, keep chilled.
- In a salad: see our beetroot, goat’s cheese and walnut salad, or the borscht for a hot version.
Frequently asked questions
Is raw beetroot dangerous?
It is not banned, but unexplained collective poisonings affected nearly 450 children in 2014. Anses suggests, as a precaution, not serving it grated and raw in canteens and care homes.
Why does raw beetroot make people ill?
The cause has not been identified. The leads explored are bacteria, mould toxins, or natural substances such as nitrates, oxalates and saponins.
Can you eat grated raw beetroot at home?
Nothing forbids it, but cooked beetroot is safer, especially for children and older people.
Is cooked beetroot safe?
Yes: it is its traditional form, and cooking reduces nitrates and nitrites.
Is beetroot juice dangerous?
It is rich in nitrates. In moderate amounts, in adults, there is no known danger; avoid it in large amounts.
Why does beetroot colour the urine?
Because of its pigments, the betalains. It is harmless.
Is raw beetroot richer in vitamins than cooked?
Yes for folate: 109 µg per 100 g raw against 12.4 µg cooked, according to Ciqual. And for vitamin C, 4.9 mg against less than 0.5 mg.
Does beetroot raise blood sugar?
Not much: its glycaemic index is 64, but an 80 g portion provides only 7 g of carbohydrate, for a low glycaemic load of 4.
How many nitrates are there in beetroot?
More than 1,000 mg per kilo according to Anses, so more than 100 mg in 100 g. The acceptable daily intake is 3.7 mg per kilo of body weight, about 220 mg for 60 kg.
Does beetroot juice improve recovery after sport?
A 2022 meta-analysis suggests faster recovery of strength after exercise, with studies of limited quality.
Does beetroot juice lower blood pressure?
Yes, a little: 4 to 5 mmHg on average on systolic pressure in meta-analyses, with high nitrate doses and short trials. It does not replace treatment; talk to your doctor.
Is beetroot the main source of nitrates?
No. According to Anses, vegetables provide 62 to 69% of our nitrates, mainly leafy vegetables in adults, and water 20 to 25%. Varying your vegetables is enough to avoid excess.
Is it common to have pink urine after beetroot?
It affects 10 to 14% of people, more often in iron deficiency. It is harmless in itself.
Is shop-bought beetroot salad just as healthy?
It contains much more salt: 320 mg of sodium per 100 g against 90 mg for plain cooked beetroot, according to Ciqual.
Our sources
- Anses, opinion on a request for technical and scientific support relating to collective food poisoning outbreaks linked to the consumption of grated raw beetroot (referral 2014-SA-0174), 27 November 2014.
- Ciqual 2025 table (Anses): raw and cooked red beetroot.
- EFSA, ANS Panel. Re-evaluation of sodium nitrate (E 251) and potassium nitrate (E 252) as food additives. EFSA Journal, 2017 (PMC7010087).
- Atkinson FS et al. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care, 2008: beetroot.
- Jones L et al. The effect of nitrate-rich beetroot juice on markers of exercise-induced muscle damage: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Diet Suppl, 2022 (PMID 34151694).
- EFSA, dietary reference values for folate: 600 µg per day during pregnancy.
- Anses. Revised opinion on the risks associated with the consumption of nitrites and nitrates, and collective expert report (referral 2020-SA-0106), July 2022.
- Siervo M et al. Inorganic nitrate and beetroot juice supplementation reduces blood pressure in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Nutr, 2013 (PMID 23596162).
- Grönroos R et al. Effects of beetroot juice on blood pressure in hypertension according to European Society of Hypertension Guidelines: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2024 (PMID 39069465).
- Hayes E et al. Inter-individual differences in the blood pressure lowering effects of dietary nitrate: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled replicate crossover trial. Eur J Nutr, 2025 (PMID 39992469).
- Watts AR et al. Beeturia and the biological fate of beetroot pigments. Pharmacogenetics, 1993 (PMID 8148871).
- Ciqual 2025 table (Anses): beetroot salad, with dressing, pre-packed.
