Pregnancy Food Safety

What you will be able to do

• explain the main risks behind New Zealand 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 New Zealand Food Safety advice.
• check whether a cheese is safe, and know when cooking until steaming hot makes it fine.
• choose fish and seafood safely, including kaimoana you gather yourself, and limit fish that can be high in mercury.
• keep caffeine within 200mg a day and explain why the advice on alcohol is to stop drinking completely.
• 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 New Zealand pregnancy 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 fine, which need cooking first, 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 are avoided unless heated, why liver is limited, and why eggs should be cooked until firm.

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

   Fridge safe and avoid list

4. 4Fish, seafood and kaimoana

   Find out why fish is still worth eating in pregnancy, which fish to limit because of mercury, and how to handle smoked fish, sushi, raw fish and shellfish, including kaimoana you gather.

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

   Eating-out safety cardFridge safe and avoid list

5. 5Drinks: caffeine, alcohol and herbal teas

   Learn the 200mg caffeine limit, where caffeine hides, why the advice is to stop drinking alcohol, and what to know about herbal teas and other drinks.

   • Caffeine: 200mg 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
   • 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 at cafés, takeaways and whānau gatherings, know the signs of food-related infection in pregnancy, and know exactly who to contact.

   • Eating out, takeaways and gatherings
   • 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 New Zealand pregnancy advice says about eating it.
• CardsEating-out safety cardPocket-sized cards to check on your phone or print, so you can order with confidence at cafés, restaurants, takeaways, hāngī and 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 within the New Zealand guide of no more than 200mg a day in pregnancy.
• CalculatorCaffeine counterAdd up the caffeine in today's drinks and snacks and compare it with the New Zealand pregnancy guide of 200mg a day.