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Key takeaways

• Avoid raw or undercooked meats, fish, and eggs to prevent infections.
• Limit certain fish due to mercury or pollutant levels.
• Do not eat unpasteurised dairy, soft cheeses, or pate.
• Practise good food hygiene, including washing, separating, cooking, and chilling.

Key foods to avoid or limit during pregnancy

During pregnancy, it is best to avoid or limit certain foods and drinks. This is because there are small risks to your baby.

Some foods need to be cooked or prepared in a specific way. Others are best to avoid completely.

Raw or undercooked meat

Avoid undercooked meat, especially poultry, pork, sausages, and burgers. Any meat you eat should be cooked thoroughly. It should not be pink and should not have any blood coming out.

Cook sausages and minced meat thoroughly. Cold, cured meats like salami or pepperoni should be cooked until steaming hot before eating. This is because curing does not get rid of bacteria.

Certain fish

Fish is a good source of many vitamins and minerals. Aim to eat at least two portions of fish a week.

• High-mercury fish – Do not eat shark, swordfish, or marlin. These fish have high levels of mercury.
• Tuna – Limit how much tuna you eat, as it has more mercury than other fish. Consume no more than two tuna steaks (about 140g cooked or 170g raw) or four medium-sized cans (about 140g drained) per week.
• Oily fish – Aim to eat one portion of oily fish a week, such as salmon, trout, mackerel, or herring. Do not eat more than two portions, as oily fish may contain pollutants.
• Cold-smoked or cured fish – Avoid cold-smoked fish (e.g., smoked salmon) and cured fish (e.g., gravlax). These are not fully cooked but are safe to eat if heated until steaming hot.
• Raw shellfish – Avoid eating raw shellfish, such as prawns, crab, lobster, mussels, cockles, and oysters. Cooked shellfish, however, is safe to eat.
• Sushi – Supermarket sushi is normally fine to eat. If it contains raw fish, it must have been frozen first, a process that makes it safe.

Dairy products

Avoid certain dairy products.

• Unpasteurised milk or cream – Do not have unpasteurised cow's, sheep's, or goat's milk or cream.
• Soft cheeses – Avoid mould-ripened soft cheeses (e.g., brie, camembert, chevre) and soft blue cheeses (e.g., Danish Blue, gorgonzola, roquefort). These cheeses can be eaten if cooked until steaming hot.

Raw or undercooked eggs

The safest eggs to eat are British Lion eggs, which have a red lion stamp. These eggs can be eaten raw or runny. The hens that lay British Lion eggs are vaccinated against salmonella.

If you eat eggs that are not British Lion, cook them thoroughly. If they are not hen's eggs, they also need thorough cooking. This kills any salmonella.

Avoid foods with raw egg, such as homemade mayonnaise or mousse, unless made with British Lion eggs.

Game meat

Avoid game meat such as goose, partridge, or pheasant. These may contain lead shot.

Liver and pate

Avoid liver and liver products, such as liver pate and liver sausage. These have high levels of vitamin A. In large amounts, this can be harmful to your baby’s development.

Avoid all types of pate, including vegetable pate. This is because they may contain bacteria called listeria.

Other foods

• Enoki mushrooms – These may contain the bacteria Listeria. If you use them, cook them thoroughly to kill any bacteria.
• Ready meals – Follow the cooking instructions on the pack of any ready meals. Check that the meal is steaming hot all the way through, especially if it contains poultry.

Understanding the risks: why some foods are best avoided

Certain foods are best avoided during pregnancy due to the risk of harmful bacteria, parasites, or heavy metals. These can affect your health and your baby's development.

Listeria

Listeria is a type of bacteria. It can cause an infection called listeriosis. Listeriosis is a rare infection, but it's important to be careful during pregnancy as it can lead to complications or cause your baby to be unwell.

• Unpasteurised dairy products and soft cheeses – There is a small chance these contain listeria. Cooking these cheeses until steaming hot kills the bacteria.
• Pate – All types of pate, including vegetable pate, may contain listeria.
• Cold-smoked or cured fish – Ready-to-eat cold-smoked or cured fish products can carry a risk of listeria. Cooking them until steaming hot destroys any present listeria.
• Enoki mushrooms – These may contain listeria bacteria.

Toxoplasma

Toxoplasma is a tiny parasite. It can live in raw or undercooked meat.

• Raw or undercooked meat – Eating raw or undercooked meat can lead to an infection called toxoplasmosis. While toxoplasmosis is rare, it's important to be aware of it as it can cause complications for you and your baby.
• Cured meats – Because these meats are not cooked, there is a small risk they may contain the parasites that cause toxoplasmosis.

Salmonella

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

• Raw or undercooked eggs – Eggs not British Lion or from unvaccinated hens can contain salmonella. While unlikely to harm your baby, it can cause you to get food poisoning.

Mercury

Mercury is a heavy metal. Too much mercury can be harmful to your baby’s development.

• High-mercury fish – Shark, swordfish, and marlin have high levels of mercury.
• Tuna – Tuna has more mercury than other fish.

Pollutants

Some oily fish can contain pollutants.

• Oily fish – Some oily fish can contain pollutants from the sea. Eating more than the recommended amount could expose your baby to these pollutants, so it's best to stick to the limits.

Risks from raw shellfish

Raw shellfish can contain harmful bacteria, viruses, or toxins. These can make you unwell and cause food poisoning.

High levels of vitamin A

High levels of vitamin A are not recommended during pregnancy.

Liver and liver products have high levels of vitamin A.

Lead shot

Game meat, like hare, partridge, or pheasant, may contain lead.

Essential food hygiene for a safe pregnancy

Good food hygiene is important to keep you and your baby safe during pregnancy. Follow these four basic steps.

Clean

• Wash your hands with soap and water before preparing food and before eating.
• Wash your hands after touching raw foods like meat, poultry, and fish. Also wash them after handling raw eggs, shellfish, and vegetables.
• Clean kitchen work surfaces and utensils.
• Wash all fruit, vegetables, and salads thoroughly. This removes soil that may contain toxoplasma.

Separate

• Store raw foods separately from ready-to-eat foods. This avoids cross-contamination.
• Use a separate knife and chopping board for raw meats.
• Cover raw chicken and store it at the bottom of the fridge. This prevents it from dripping onto other foods.

Cook

• Cook meat thoroughly so there is no pink or blood inside. The juices should run clear.
• Pay particular attention when cooking chicken, pork, sausages, and burgers. Ensure they are cooked all the way through.
• Heat ready meals until they are steaming hot all the way through. This is especially important for meals containing poultry.
• Cook unpasteurised soft cheeses and mould-ripened soft cheeses until steaming hot. This kills bacteria.
• Cook cured meats like salami or pepperoni thoroughly. Curing does not get rid of bacteria.
• Thoroughly cook duck, goose, and quail eggs.
• Cook enoki mushrooms thoroughly to kill any bacteria.

Chill

• Use leftovers within two days.
• Cool cooked food as quickly as possible, within 90 minutes.
• Store cooled food in the fridge until you are ready to eat it.
• Do not eat food after its use-by date.
• Avoid eating salad that has been left out at room temperature for more than two hours. Bacteria can grow quickly.