Food Safety in pregnancy (2024)

Listeria in pregnancy

Listeria is a bacteria found in some foods, which can cause an infection called listeriosis. If passed on to your unborn baby it can cause premature birth, miscarriage or damage. Throughout your pregnancy, it is important to avoid foods that have a high risk of containing listeria.

Foods that might contain Listeria and should be avoided include:

• unpasteurised dairy products
• soft cheeses such as brie, camembert, ricotta, and fresh fetta, unless they are cooked (yellow, hard cheese, and processed packaged cheese are safe)
• soft serve ice cream and thick shakes
• all paté
• ready-to-eat cold meats, including deli and packaged meats (e.g. ham, salami, cooked chicken)
• ready-to-eat salads (from salad bars, buffets, supermarkets etc.)
• raw or smoked seafood (including oysters, salmon, sashimi, sushi)
• undercooked meats (e.g. raw steak) and eggs
• ready to eat prawns.

Eating fish during pregnancy

Fish is a safe and important part of a healthy diet. It is an excellent source of protein, low in saturated fat, high in omega 3 fish oils and a good source of iodine.

However, some types of fish should be restricted as they may contain higher levels of mercury.

Recommendations for pregnant women

(1 serve = 150g)

1 serve per fortnight of shark (flake) or billfish (swordfish/broadbill and marlin) and NO other fish that fortnight

or

1 serve per week of Orange Roughy (Deep Sea Perch) or catfish and NO other fish that week

or

2–3 serves per week of any other fish and seafood not listed above.

Eating eggs during pregnancy

Do not eat raw or undercooked eggs. Eggs must be cooked through so that both the white and yolk are hard.

Food safety tips

Here are some tips for keeping your food safe:

• choose freshly cooked and freshly prepared food
• thaw food in the fridge or defrost in the microwave
• cool left-over food in the fridge, rather than the bench
• wash your hands, chopping boards and knives after handling raw food
• make sure hot food is very hot (above 60 degrees Celsius) and cold foods are very cold (below 5 degrees Celsius) – both at home and when eating out
• make sure all food is fresh and eaten within the use-by date
• wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before use
• eat leftovers within 24 hours and reheat foods to steaming hot
• heat leftovers to above 74 degrees Celsius, for at least two minutes
• cook all meat, chicken, fish, and eggs thoroughly
• never re-freeze food once it has been thawed or reheated.

More information on healthy eating during pregnancy, including fact sheets and resources suitable for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Maori, and Pacific Islander women are available through Queensland Health Nutritional Education Materials Online (NEMO).