Pregnancy Food Safety

What you will be able to do

• explain the main risks behind Health Canada's food advice in pregnancy: listeria, toxoplasma, salmonella, mercury and too much vitamin A.
• sort everyday foods into enjoy, heat first, limit and avoid, using Health Canada's guidance.
• check whether a cheese is a safer choice, and know when cooking until steaming hot makes it fine.
• plan fish meals within Health Canada's mercury limits for tuna and other large fish.
• keep caffeine below 300 mg a day and explain the advice on alcohol.
• store, cook and reheat food to safe temperatures in ways that reduce the risk of food poisoning.
• order safely when eating out, and know who to contact if you are worried after eating something.

1. 1Why food safety matters in pregnancy

   Understand the handful of germs and nutrients behind Health Canada's food advice, so the rules make sense and are easier to remember.

   • The germs behind the rules
   • The big picture: enjoy, heat first, limit, avoid

   Fridge safe and avoid list

2. 2Cheese, milk and other dairy foods

   Learn which cheeses are fine, which need cooking first, and how to check milk, juice, yogurt, cream and desserts.

   • Which cheeses are fine?
   • Milk, juice, yogurt, cream and desserts

   Cheese checker

3. 3Meat, deli meats, pâté and eggs

   Learn how to cook meat to safe temperatures, why deli meats, hot dogs and refrigerated pâté need care, why extra vitamin A is avoided, and how to cook eggs.

   • Meat, deli meats and hot dogs
   • Pâté, liver and vitamin A
   • Eggs: cook them firm

   Fridge safe and avoid list

4. 4Fish and shellfish

   Find out why fish is still worth eating in pregnancy, Health Canada's mercury limits for tuna and other large fish, and how to handle smoked fish, sushi and shellfish.

   • Fish is good for you, with a few limits
   • Smoked fish, sushi and shellfish

   Eating-out safety cardFridge safe and avoid list

5. 5Drinks: caffeine, alcohol and herbal teas

   Learn Health Canada's limit for caffeine, where caffeine hides, why the safest choice is no alcohol, and what to know about herbal teas and other drinks.

   • Caffeine: below 300 mg a day
   • Alcohol, herbal teas and other drinks

   Caffeine trackerCaffeine counter

6. 6A safe kitchen: storing, cooking and reheating

   Use simple kitchen habits to cut the risk of listeria, salmonella and toxoplasma at home: chilling, cleaning, cooking and avoiding cross-contamination.

   • Fridge and storage habits
   • Cooking and reheating to safe temperatures
   • Vegetables, fruit, sprouts, gardens and pets

   Storage and reheating checklistFridge safe and avoid list

7. 7Eating out, travel and what to do if you are worried

   Order confidently away from home, know the signs of food-related infection in pregnancy, and know exactly who to contact.

   • Eating out, takeout and parties
   • If you have eaten something on the avoid list

   Eating-out safety card

• ListFridge safe and avoid listA printable list for your fridge door showing which everyday foods are fine, which are fine only when heated until steaming hot, which to limit and which to avoid while you are pregnant.
• BuilderCheese checkerChoose a cheese, whether it is pasteurized and how it will be served, to see what Health Canada's advice says about eating it in pregnancy.
• CardsEating-out safety cardPocket-sized cards to check on your phone or print, so you can order with confidence in cafés, restaurants, takeout spots and at parties.
• CheckerStorage and reheating checklistCheck your kitchen habits for storing, cooking and reheating food against the basics that help reduce the risk of listeria, salmonella and other food poisoning in pregnancy.
• TrackerCaffeine trackerLog your daily drinks and caffeine for 4 weeks to check you are staying below Health Canada's limit of 300 mg a day in pregnancy.
• CalculatorCaffeine counterAdd up the caffeine in today's drinks and snacks and compare it with Health Canada's pregnancy limit of 300 mg a day.