Public Health

Food-borne Illness During Pregnancy - Women’s Health

 

Anyone can get an infection or other type of illness caused by germs or chemicals in foods. Pregnant women are more likely to get a food-borne illness.

It is important for you to learn about food-borne illness before and during pregnancy. Some illnesses caused by food can harm the pregnancy. There are ways to reduce these risks by learning about foods to avoid and how to prepare and handle food carefully.

For both mother and baby, foodborne illness can cause serious health problems – or even death.

What is a food-borne illness?

Some people call this "food poisoning." It is a sickness that occurs when you eat food or drink water that contains harmful substances such as:

• Bacteria
• Parasites
• Viruses
• Certain chemicals

What are the signs of illness from food?

You may get sick very soon after eating contaminated food or symptoms may not occur for days or weeks. This depends on what type of harmful substance is in the food. A food-borne illness can still harm a pregnancy even if the mother does not feel sick. Foodborne illness may cause:

• Fever
• Headache
• Body aches
• Upset stomach
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal cramps
• Dehydration
• Death

Why are pregnant women at high risk?

• Your immune system is weaker during pregnancy. This makes it harder for your body to fight off harmful germs.
• Your baby's immune system is not fully ready to fight off harmful germs.
• For both mother and baby, food-borne illness can cause serious health problems – or even death.

What foods to eat during pregnancy and what foods to avoid

Certain foods can put pregnant women at a higher risk for food-borne disease. Pregnant women should avoid uncooked meat, poultry and seafood, and unpasteurized dairy products and juices. The table below lists foods to be avoided and ones that are safe to eat.

If you're unsure about the ingredients in a particular dish, ask your server before ordering it. Refer to the table below to find foods safe to eat during pregnancy.

Foods Safe to Eat or to Avoid During Pregnancy

Food Group	Safe to Eat	Avoid Eating
Fruits and Vegetables	Washed fruits and vegetables	Unwashed fruits and vegetables
	Cooked sprouts	Raw sprouts, such as alfalfa, clover, radish, and mung bean
	Pasteurized juice	Unpasteurized juice
Dairy	Eggs that are completely cooked	Eggs that are not fully cooked, runny, without a firm yolk and egg white
	Pasteurized eggs	Raw unpasteurized eggs
	Store bought and pasteurized: Mayonnaise Dressings Sauces Cookie dough Other products made with eggs	Products containing raw unpasteurized eggs including: Raw batter, filling or cookie dough Eggnog Homemade Caesar salad dressing Béarnaise, hollandaise and aioli sauces Homemade mayonnaise Homemade ice cream Tiramisu Mousse Meringue
	Pasteurized milk	Unpasteurized milk
	Pasteurized cheeses	Unpasteurized cheeses including: Feta Brie Camembert Blue-veined cheeses Queso blanco Queso fresco Panela
Meat	Hot dogs and lunch meats heated until steaming hot	Cold hot dogs and lunch meats
	Refrigerated smoked seafood in a cooked dish, like a casserole	Refrigerated smoked seafood including: Salmon Trout Whitefish Cod Tuna Mackerel often labeled as: Lox Nova-style Kippered Smoked Jerky
	Fully cooked meats and poultry	Undercooked or raw meat and poultry Refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads
	Pre-stuffed whole poultry that has been purchased frozen and cooked frozen, without defrosting first	Pre-stuffed poultry that has been purchased fresh and raw
Seafood	Up to 12 oz. a week (2 average meals) of fully cooked fish with low levels of mercury*, including: Shrimp Canned light tuna Salmon Pollock Catfish Cod Tilapia Whitefish Fish sticks Up to 6 oz. a week of albacore (white) tuna or tuna steaks, which have more mercury than canned light tuna	Fish with high concentrations of mercury*: King mackerel Shark Swordfish Tilefish Raw fish, found in foods such as sushi and sashimi
	Fully cooked shellfish	Raw shellfish including: Oysters Mussels Clams Scallops

* Mercury is a harmful metal found in high levels in some fish. Bigger and older fish usually have high levels of mercury. Unborn and newborn babies are more sensitive to mercury than adults. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid fish with high levels of mercury. Pregnant women should eat a variety of fish with low levels of mercury, up to 12 oz. a week. The FDA has more information on mercury in fish and shellfish at: What You Need to Know About Mercury in Fish and Shellfish.

For more information on food safety, visit Food Safety.

For more on food diseases and food safety during pregnancy

• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
  • Health and Nutrition Information for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women
  • USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: Fact Sheets
  • Is It Done Yet? Thermometer Placement & Temperatures
  • Kitchen Companion; Your Safe Food Handbook (3.2 MB, PDF)
  • Check Your Steps: Food Safe Families
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Questions and Answers about Foodborne Illness (sometimes called "Food Poisoning")
  • Toxic Substances Portal – Mercury; ToxFAQs™ for Mercury
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Food Safety for Moms-to-Be
  • What You Need to Know About Mercury in Fish and Shellfish
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures