Food Safety During Pregnancy
Preventing food poisoning is important for everyone. It is especially important during pregnancy when some of your body’s natural defences may be a little lower than normal.
What is ‘food poisoning’?
- Eating foods with germs (bacteria, virus or fungus)
- Eating food with chemicals that can be harmful (examples: mercury, pesticides)
What can happen?
Some forms can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, cramps, fever and chills.
Some germs can be passed to your baby and cause serious health problems
- Choose fruits and vegetables that are not bruised or damaged.
- Keep raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood away from other food in your grocery cart.
- Check the expiry dates.
When buying fish choose those that are low in mercury, notably smaller fish (examples: light tuna, sardines, salmon and trout) over larger fish that are high in mercury (examples: fresh, frozen or canned white tuna, albacore tuna, shark and marlin)
- Wash your hands with warm water and soap regularly before touching food and after:
- Touching raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood
- Using the washroom
- Touching pets
- Changing diapers
- Any utensil, surface or container that is in contact with raw meat, poultry, fish or seafood should immediately be changed or washed thoroughly.
- Have a separate cutting board for raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood. Avoid using sponges for washing plates and utensils because they can harbour harmful bacteria. Use a wash cloth instead and make sure to put it in the laundry regularly.
- Wash all fresh fruits and vegetables under cool, running, drinkable water and scrub fruits and vegetables with hard skin such as carrots, potatoes, melons and squash.
Dry storage should be well ventilated, not humid and out of direct sunlight.
As soon as you get home, refrigerate or freeze perishables. Such food should not be left out for more than 1 hour during summer outdoor activities and 2 hours at room temperature.
In the fridge or the freezer:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables should not be in contact with surfaces exposed to raw meat, fish, poultry and eggs.
- Fresh cut fruits and vegetables should be stored in a clean container.
- Temperature should be <4°C in the fridge and <-18°C in the freezer.
- Doors should be kept closed as much as possible.
- Stored cooked and ready to eat food in the refrigerator should be consumed within 2-3 days or discarded.
- Cooked and ready to eat food should be stored in rows above raw food.
Thawing your raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood should be done overnight in the fridge or in the microwave or in a sealed bag or container submerged in cold water for 2 hours maximum.
If you use the microwave for thawing, food should be cooked rapidly.
If an food has been thawed, cook it before refreezing
- Eggs should always be fully cooked, including the yolk.
- Raw animal products are to be avoided.
- Make sure meats, poultry and fish are well cooked as they may naturally contain some bacteria such as salmonella in chicken. To do so, insert a digital food thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, chicken or fish and make sure it reaches a safe internal temperature.
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Types of foods |
Safe internal temperature |
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Beef, veal and lamb (pieces and whole cuts) |
77 °C (170 °F) |
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Pork (pieces and whole cuts) |
71 °C (160 °F) |
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Ground Beef, veal, lamb and pork and meat mixtures (burgers, sausages, meatballs, meatloaf and casseroles) |
71 °C (160 °F) |
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Ground Poultry (chicken and turkey |
74 °C (165 °F) |
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Whole Poultry (chicken, turkey and duck) |
82 °C (180 °F) |
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Pieces of Poultry (chicken, turkey and duck) |
74 °C (165 °F) |
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Eggs containing dishes |
74 °C (165 °F) |
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Fish |
70 °C (158 °F) |
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Shellfish* (shrimp, lobster, crab, scallops, clams, mussels and oysters) |
74 °C (165 °F) |
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Other foods (hot dogs, stuffing and leftovers) |
74 °C (165 °F) |
|
Any leftovers |
at least 74 °C (165 °F) |
Foods to Avoid
As you have seen, some foods need to be avoided during pregnancy to prevent food poisoning. In summary:
Do NOT eat Raw Animal Products such as:
- Uncooked or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs and fish (Such as sushi, oysters, clams and smoked fish and refrigerated meat spreads like liverwurst and paté)
- Deli meats
- Non-pasteurized milk and cheese. (Soft cheeses like Brie, Feta and Camembert may be unpasteurized. Check the label.)
- Soft-boiled eggs and desserts made with under cooked eggs such as chocolate mousse. Eggs should always be fully cooked or pasteurized
Limit liver to one 100 g serving per month. Although liver has many important nutrients, it is high in vitamin A. Very high amounts of vitamin A can harm a developing baby.
Limit fish high in mercury including fresh or frozen tuna, shark, swordfish, escolar, marlin and orange roughy. Some good types of fish include, salmon, trout, mackerel, halibut, pollock (Boston blue fish), char, sole, canned light tuna (Yellowfin or Skipjack), cod, herring and sardines.
There are some vegetable and fruit products to avoid, including
- Raw sprouts (Try washed lettuce, cucumbers, spinach or other vegetables instead. )
- Non-pasteurized fruit juice or cider (Check the label. Most juices sold in Canada are pasteurized.)
Do NOT consume Alcohol. Consuming any alcohol throughout the course of your pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal malformations.
Limit your caffeine intake to 300 mg per day, regardless of the source. For example, if you limit your consumption of other products containing caffeine (such as cola, tea, and chocolate), you can drink a little over two cups of coffee a day (one cup equals 8 ounces, or 237 ml). Energy drinks can contain even more caffeine than a cup coffee. They are not recommended during pregnancy.
Avoid the sugar substitute cyclamate. Most sugar substitutes during pregnancy do not pose a health risk as far as we know. The exception is cyclamate, a sugar substitute found in “Sucaryl”, “Sugar Twin”, “Sweet N’Low” and Weight Watchers store brands. It is suspected to be unsafe for pregnancy and should be avoided.
Other artificial sweeteners should be used only in moderation. There is some evidence that even diet soft drinks may be associated with too much weight gain. In general, all soft drinks should be avoided.
Check well water. If you use water from a private supply, have the water tested for bacteria, fluoride, nitrates and other chemicals before you use it. Routine water testing may not include a test for lead, which is a chemical of concern. If you have questions, contact a public health inspector.
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Herbal teas to be avoided during pregnancy |
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Chamomile |
Licorice |
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Aloe |
Ginseng |
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Calendula |
Ephedra |
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Sage |
Passionflower |
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Chaste tree |
St. John’s wort |
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Herbal teas allowed to be consumed in moderation (i.e. 2-3 cups per day) |
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Bitter orange |
Red raspberry leaf |
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Orange peel |
Rosemary |
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Echinacea |
Rose hip |
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Peppermint |
Ginger peppermint |