Food Safety and Pregnancy

Especially rare steak, burgers, sausages and chicken.
Parma ham, chorizo pepperoni or salami.

Reason for avoiding:

Risk of toxoplasmosis – a tiny parasite that lives in raw meat, untreated water, cat faeces and can harm the baby.

Food to eat instead:

Well cooked meat that is cooked all the way through with no traces of pink or blood

Such as liver sausage, haggis or pâté.
Pâté – all types including vegetable pâté.

Reason for avoiding:

Contains too much vitamin A – high levels of this can harm the baby.
Risk of Listeria (a type of food poisoning).

Food to eat instead:

Any other red meat. Well cooked meat that isn’t pâté.

Reason for avoiding:

Contains too much vitamin A – high levels of this can harm the baby.

Food to eat instead:

Supplements specifically made for pregnant women.

Reason for avoiding:

Risk of Listeria (a type of food poisioning)

Food to eat instead:

Pasteurised milk and yoghurt.

Such as Brie, Camembert and others with a similar rind, Danish Blue, gorgonzola or Chevre (these cheeses are only safe to eat if cooked).

Reason for avoiding:

Risk of Listeria (a type of food poisoning).

Food to eat instead:

Hard cheeses such as cheddar, stilton and parmesan.
Soft cheese made from pasteurised milk such as cottage cheese, mozzarella and cheese spreads.

Check the label – most cheeses state if made from pasteurised milk.

Eggs without the Red Lion logo stamp (check cold-desserts and home-made mayonnaise).
Eggs with the red lion logo stamped on their shell are considered very low risk for salmonella and safe for pregnant women to eat raw or partially cooked.

Reason for avoiding:

Risk of food poisoning, i.e. salmonella.

Food to eat instead:

Eggs with the red lion stamp logo. Hardboiled eggs, eggs used in baking, pasteurised mayonnaise.

Reason for avoiding:

Risk of food poisoning, i.e. salmonella.

Food to eat instead:

Ready meals that are reheated until hot all the way through (follow the instructions).

Such as prawns, mussels, lobster, crab and oysters.

Reason for avoiding:

Risk of food poisoning, i.e. salmonella.

Food to eat instead:

All other fish types including smoked fish.
Shellfish cooked thoroughly. Cold, pre-cooked prawns are fine.

Sushi made with raw fish that hasn’t first been frozen.

Reason for avoiding:

Occasionally, wild fish contains small parasitic worms that could make you ill.

Food to eat instead:

Cooking or freezing kills the worms and makes raw fish safe to eat. Cooked or vegetable sushi varieties.

Reason for avoiding:

These fish have very high mercury contents which can harm the baby’s developing nervous system.

Food to eat instead:

All other fish typed including smoked fish.

More than 2 portions of oily fish a week (fresh tuna, mackerel, sardines, salmon, sea bream, sea bass, turbot, halibut, brown crabmeat or trout).

Reason for avoiding:

Too much tinned tuna or oily fish can be dangerous because of the levels of mercury and/or low levels of pollutants found in these fish. These can build up in the body over time which can affect the baby’s developing nervous system.

Food to eat instead:

Although more than two portions of oily fish could harm your baby, you should eat one portion of oily fish a week as it contains Omega-3 oils which will help the baby’s developing nervous system. Remember tinned tuna doesn’t count as an oily fish.

You should limit your caffeine to no more than 200mg a day (2 mugs of instant coffee, 2 mugs of tea or 5 cans of cola).

Reason for avoiding:

Caffeine is a stimulant: it increases your heart rate and metabolism, which in turn affects your developing baby.

Food to eat instead:

Juice, milk, water and tea/coffee within the limit advised.