Pregnancy changes your immune system in ways that make you significantly more susceptible to certain foodborne illnesses. Listeria infection is 10 times more likely to affect pregnant women than the general population, according to the CDC. Key safety practices include avoiding high-risk foods like raw fish, unpasteurized dairy, deli meats unless heated, and raw sprouts, cooking all meats and eggs thoroughly, washing fruits and vegetables before eating, maintaining strict refrigerator temperatures below 4°C (40°F), and practicing rigorous hand hygiene during food preparation. These precautions protect both you and your developing baby from infections that can cause miscarriage, premature delivery, or serious illness in newborns.
Understanding why these precautions matter gives you the confidence to eat well and safely throughout pregnancy.
Certain foods carry heightened risks during pregnancy and should be avoided entirely or consumed only under specific conditions. These recommendations come from the FDA, CDC, NHS, and other major health authorities worldwide.
Raw or undercooked meat, poultry, and eggs should be avoided. This includes rare steaks, undercooked burgers, runny eggs, raw cookie dough, and dishes like steak tartare or carpaccio. Cook meats to the recommended internal temperatures: poultry to 74°C (165°F), ground meats to 71°C (160°F), steaks and roasts to at least 63°C (145°F) with a three-minute rest time. Eggs should be cooked until both the white and yolk are firm.
Raw fish and shellfish, including sushi, sashimi, raw oysters, and ceviche, pose risks from parasites, Vibrio bacteria, and Listeria. While some sushi restaurants use properly frozen fish that eliminates parasite risk, the bacterial concerns remain. If you crave sushi during pregnancy, cooked rolls like shrimp tempura, California rolls with imitation crab, and vegetable rolls are safer alternatives.
Unpasteurized dairy products, including certain soft cheeses (brie, camembert, blue cheese, feta from raw milk, queso blanco, queso fresco made from raw milk), unpasteurized milk, and raw milk ice cream, can harbor Listeria. Check labels to confirm that dairy products are made from pasteurized milk. Hard cheeses like cheddar, Swiss, and Parmesan are generally safe even when made from unpasteurized milk because their aging process and low moisture content inhibit Listeria growth.
Deli meats, hot dogs, and pate can harbor Listeria even when properly refrigerated. If you want to eat deli meats during pregnancy, heat them to steaming hot — at least 74°C (165°F) — before consumption. This applies to turkey, ham, salami, bologna, and all processed deli meats. Pre-packaged deli meats carry the same risk as counter-sliced options.
Raw sprouts (alfalfa, clover, radish, mung bean) are particularly risky because bacteria can enter the seed before the sprout grows, making thorough washing ineffective. Cooking sprouts thoroughly eliminates this risk.
Listeria monocytogenes deserves special attention during pregnancy because it can cross the placental barrier and infect the fetus even when the mother experiences only mild symptoms. Maternal Listeria infection can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, and life-threatening infection in newborns.
What makes Listeria uniquely dangerous compared to other foodborne pathogens is its ability to grow at refrigerator temperatures. While most bacteria slow their growth significantly in cold environments, Listeria continues to multiply at temperatures as low as 0°C (32°F). This means that even properly refrigerated foods can accumulate dangerous Listeria levels over time.
Symptoms of Listeriosis in pregnant women may include fever, muscle aches, fatigue, and flu-like symptoms. These symptoms can be subtle and easily mistaken for normal pregnancy discomfort. If you develop a fever during pregnancy, particularly after eating a potentially risky food, contact your healthcare provider promptly and mention the food exposure.
Preventing Listeria exposure requires maintaining your refrigerator at 4°C (40°F) or below, consuming perishable and ready-to-eat foods well before their expiration dates, avoiding cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat foods in the refrigerator, and cleaning refrigerator surfaces regularly. The FDA recommends that pregnant women consume opened packages of deli meats within three to five days and hot dogs within one week, regardless of the printed date.
Your kitchen practices during pregnancy should be more rigorous than usual. Start with thorough handwashing before and during food preparation. Wash hands after touching raw meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and unwashed produce. Use warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds.
Maintain separate cutting boards for raw proteins and ready-to-eat foods. A dedicated cutting board for raw meat prevents cross-contamination that could transfer Salmonella, E. coli, or Campylobacter to foods that will not be cooked before eating. Wash cutting boards, utensils, and countertops with hot soapy water after each use.
Use a food thermometer consistently. Internal temperature is the only reliable way to confirm that meat, poultry, and egg dishes have reached temperatures that destroy harmful pathogens. Visual checks — color of meat, firmness of eggs — are not reliable indicators of safety.
Wash all fruits and vegetables under running water before eating, cutting, or cooking, even if you plan to peel them. Produce can carry Toxoplasma, E. coli, and Salmonella on its surface. A vegetable brush is helpful for firm produce like potatoes and melons. Do not use soap or commercial produce washes — running water is sufficient and recommended by the FDA.
Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of cooking. Use shallow containers to allow rapid cooling. Eat leftovers within three to four days and reheat them to at least 74°C (165°F) before eating.
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Try it free →Fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and nutrients that support fetal brain development. However, certain fish species accumulate mercury at levels that can harm a developing nervous system. The key is choosing the right fish rather than avoiding fish entirely.
The FDA and EPA advise pregnant women to eat two to three servings (about 225 to 340 grams) of lower-mercury fish per week. Good choices include salmon, sardines, anchovies, herring, trout, tilapia, cod, catfish, shrimp, pollock, and canned light tuna. These species provide excellent nutritional benefits with minimal mercury risk.
Fish to avoid during pregnancy due to high mercury levels include shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, bigeye tuna, marlin, and orange roughy. Albacore (white) tuna has more mercury than light tuna and should be limited to one serving per week.
If you eat locally caught fish from lakes, rivers, or coastal waters, check local advisories for mercury and other contaminant levels. If no advisory is available, limit consumption of locally caught fish to one serving per week and do not eat other fish during that week.
Canned fish is generally safe during pregnancy when consumed within the mercury guidelines. Canned light tuna (skipjack) typically has lower mercury levels than canned albacore. Canned salmon is also an excellent low-mercury, high-omega-3 choice.
Dining at restaurants during pregnancy requires additional awareness but should not be avoided entirely. Choose restaurants with strong hygiene reputations and good health inspection scores. Do not hesitate to ask how dishes are prepared, request that meats be cooked thoroughly, and inquire about unpasteurized ingredients.
When ordering, specify that you want your burger well-done, your eggs fully cooked, and your steak at least medium. Ask whether soft cheeses in salads or sandwiches are made from pasteurized milk. Request that deli meat sandwiches be toasted or grilled so the meat is heated through.
Salad bars and buffets carry higher risk during pregnancy because temperature control may be inconsistent and cross-contamination between items is possible. If you eat from a salad bar, choose items that appear fresh and properly chilled, and avoid pre-dressed salads that may contain raw eggs (as in some Caesar dressings).
International travel adds complexity to pregnancy food safety. In countries where water safety is uncertain, avoid tap water, ice made from tap water, raw salads washed in tap water, and street food where preparation practices are unknown. Stick to bottled or boiled water, fully cooked hot foods, and fruits you can peel yourself.
Raw fish sushi is not recommended during pregnancy due to risks from parasites, bacteria, and Listeria. Cooked sushi options like shrimp tempura rolls, cooked salmon rolls, vegetable rolls, and California rolls with imitation crab are safer alternatives that let you enjoy the sushi experience.
Yes. Heating deli meats to steaming hot — at least 74°C (165°F) — destroys Listeria and makes them safe for pregnancy consumption. Toasted sandwiches, microwaved deli meats, or pan-heated slices all achieve this temperature when properly heated.
Most health authorities, including the WHO and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, recommend limiting caffeine intake to 200 mg per day during pregnancy, roughly equivalent to one 350 ml (12 oz) cup of brewed coffee. This is a nutrition guideline rather than a food safety issue, but worth noting for overall pregnancy wellness.
Do not panic. The risk from a single exposure is low, even for foods on the avoid list. Monitor yourself for symptoms like fever, muscle aches, nausea, or diarrhea over the following weeks. If symptoms develop, contact your healthcare provider and mention what you ate. Most accidental exposures do not result in illness.
Eating safely during pregnancy does not mean eating fearfully. By understanding which foods carry risk and why, you can make confident choices that nourish both you and your baby while minimizing exposure to harmful pathogens.
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