Pregnancy Food Safety

What you will be able to do

• explain the main risks behind the Australian food advice in pregnancy: listeria, toxoplasma, salmonella, vitamin A and mercury.
• sort everyday foods into enjoy, only if cooked and served hot, limit and avoid, using FSANZ guidance.
• check whether a cheese is a safer choice, and know when cooking it until steaming hot makes it fine.
• plan fish meals within the FSANZ mercury limits for shark, billfish, orange roughy and catfish.
• keep caffeine within 200 mg a day and explain the Australian advice on alcohol.
• store, cook and reheat food 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 the Australian food advice, so the rules make sense and are easier to remember.

   • The germs behind the rules
   • The big picture: enjoy, take care, avoid

   Fridge safe and avoid list

2. 2Cheese, milk and other dairy foods

   Learn which cheeses are a safer choice, which need cooking and serving hot, and how to check milk, yoghurt, ice cream and desserts.

   • Which cheeses are fine?
   • Milk, yoghurt, cream and desserts

   Cheese checker

3. 3Meat, deli meats, pâté, liver and eggs

   Learn how to cook meat safely, why deli meats, cold chicken and pâté need care, why liver is avoided, and how to cook eggs.

   • Meat, deli meats and cold chicken
   • Pâté, liver and vitamin A
   • Eggs: cook them until firm

   Fridge safe and avoid list

4. 4Fish and seafood

   Find out why fish is still worth eating in pregnancy, the FSANZ mercury limits, and how to handle smoked fish, sushi, prawns and other seafood.

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

   Eating-out safety cardFridge safe and avoid list

5. 5Drinks: caffeine, alcohol and herbal teas

   Learn the Australian limit for caffeine, where caffeine hides, why the guidelines say no alcohol, and what to know about herbal teas and other drinks.

   • Caffeine: 200 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 until steaming hot
   • Fruit, vegetables, 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, takeaway 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 cooked and served hot, which to limit, and which to avoid while you are pregnant.
• BuilderCheese checkerChoose a cheese, whether it is pasteurised and how it will be served, to see what Australian (FSANZ) guidance 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, takeaway shops and at parties and barbecues.
• 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 within the Australian advice of no more than 200 mg a day in pregnancy.
• CalculatorCaffeine counterAdd up the caffeine in today's drinks and snacks and compare it with the Australian advice of no more than 200 mg a day in pregnancy.