Food Safety Recommendations for Women During Pregnancy

In this resource

UGA Extension contacts:
Sarah Henes and Carla Luisa Schwan

As part of our series “Maternal Health in Georgia” for University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents, this resource will talk more about maternal health as related to recommendations for pregnant women and food safety.

Why Food Safety is So Important During Pregnancy

Food safety is important throughout all stages of life, but it is particularly important during pregnancy when the mother-to-be and her baby have a weakened immune system. In addition to the “basics” (clean, separate, cook, chill; see more information in the UGA Extension resource Four Steps to Protect Mom and Baby During Pregnancy), women who are pregnant should be mindful of specific risks in each category.

For example, it is still very important to wash hands (clean), and it is also just as important to consider a clean environment, such as making sure to change out dirty kitchen towels and to clean and sanitize countertops often. During pregnancy, women can also get sick from unwashed produce, so using a vegetable brush to scrub skinned produce (such as cantaloupe and cucumber) helps reduce the risk of food borne illness. The details matter!

The Basics of Food Safety

Women who are pregnant need to be especially considerate of separating raw meat, poultry, and seafood from other foods, starting with grocery shopping by keeping these items in a separate section of the grocery cart. Even when checking out from the store, it is important to keep raw meats and seafood in separate bags away from all other food items.

At home, remembering the basics is all part of keeping pregnant women and their baby food safe. This includes storing meats on the bottom shelf in the refrigerator and sealing these raw foods in plastic containers or bags so that juices will not drip.

A final recommendation on separating raw foods is to try to have two separate cutting boards. One is for raw meats, and the other one is for produce. If this isn’t possible, it’s important to cut raw produce first, clean the cutting board, and then cut raw foods/meats.

Other details to consider as food safety measures for pregnant women include making sure to cook foods, including meats, to their proper temperature (see Figure 1) and measuring temperatures with a calibrated meat thermometer.

This graphic explains foods to avoid during pregnancy, safer alternatives, recommended cooking temperatures, and the risks of foodborne illnesses such as Listeria monocytogenes and Toxoplasma gondii.

A large central section lists foods to avoid, including raw seafood, unpasteurized milk and juice, soft cheeses made from unpasteurized milk, undercooked eggs, deli salads, raw sprouts, cold hot dogs and luncheon meats, and undercooked meat and poultry. Adjacent columns explain the associated risks, including E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Campylobacter, parasites, and Toxoplasma gondii, along with safer alternatives such as pasteurized products, thoroughly cooked foods, and reheated deli meats.

A side panel lists safe internal cooking temperatures: 145 °F for fish and whole cuts of beef, pork, veal, and lamb; 160 °F for egg dishes and ground meats; and 165 °F for poultry.

The lower section describes dangers associated with Listeria and Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy. It states that pregnant women are 10 times more likely to get listeriosis and that 50% of toxoplasmosis infections in the United States are foodborne. Potential health outcomes listed include miscarriage, premature labor, low birth weight, infant death, hearing loss, blindness, intellectual disability, and later brain or eye problems in children.

A reminder banner at the bottom emphasizes four food safety practices: clean, separate, cook, and chill. Logos for USDA, HHS, the Ad Council, and FoodSafety.gov appear along the bottom edge. — **Figure 1.** Food Safety for Baby and Me Infographic.
*Note.* Specific guidance from this graphic is also found in text format at the source’s website. From “People at risk: pregnant women,” 2025, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (https://www.foodsafety.gov/people-at-risk/pregnant-women).

Listeriosis: A Dangerous Illness for Mom and Baby

One of the most serious foodborne risks during pregnancy is Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that causes listeriosis. Although listeriosis is relatively rare compared to other foodborne illnesses, it is one of the most dangerous for pregnant women and their babies.

During pregnancy, women are about 10 times more likely to get listeriosis than the general population. In some cases, symptoms can be mild and flu-like or even nonexistent, though the illness still poses serious threats.

Unlike many other foodborne pathogens, Listeria is a ubiquitous pathogen that can grow at refrigerator temperatures. It is commonly associated with ready-to-eat foods such as deli meats, hot dogs, soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk, refrigerated smoked seafood, and premade deli salads. Because these foods are often eaten without additional cooking, there is no final “kill step” to destroy the bacteria before consumption.

What makes Listeria particularly dangerous during pregnancy is its ability to cross the placenta, infecting the fetus directly. This can lead to severe outcomes, including miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm labor, or life-threatening infection in the newborn, such as sepsis or meningitis. In fact, pregnancy-associated cases account for a substantial proportion of listeriosis-related fetal and neonatal illness and death.

These serious outcomes can occur even when feeling only mildly ill, and prevention is critical. Avoiding high-risk foods, selecting pasteurized products, reheating deli meats and hot dogs to 165 °F—and verifying using a food thermometer—and practicing safe food handling are key steps to protect both mother and baby from this preventable but serious foodborne illness.

Key Food Safety Recommendations to Remember

Only eat pasteurized dairy, including milk and cheese. Avoid soft cheeses such as blue cheese, queso fresco, and brie. Also avoid cold cheeses cut at the deli.
If eating deli meats, hot dogs, and/or sausages, make sure to heat them up to an internal temperature of 165 °F.
Avoid refrigerated premade deli salads (potato salad, macaroni salad, chicken salad, egg salad, coleslaw, etc.), as these ready-to-eat foods have occasionally been linked to Listeria monocytogenes, which can be particularly harmful during pregnancy.
Make sure eggs are hard boiled or hard cooked. Avoid runny eggs, raw eggs (including in cookie dough, cake batter, etc.), eggnog, and Caesar salad dressing.
A little-known fact is that raw/uncooked sprouts (bean, alfalfa, mung, etc.) are also unsafe foods for women to eat during pregnancy. Bacteria can grow in the seeds and be harmful to both the mother-to-be and the baby. Always cook sprouts fully if choosing to eat them during pregnancy.
Be sure that all drinks—including juices, smoothies, dairy, and yogurt-based—are pasteurized. Pasteurization kills harmful bacteria and is the safest option for pregnant women.

Seafood

It’s important to include seafood in the discussion about safe foods to eat during pregnancy. In the first publication of this Maternal Health in Georgia series, Nutrition Recommendations for Pregnant Women, we discussed how low-mercury seafood, such as salmon, shrimp, and canned light tuna, are recommended for pregnant women because these foods provide nutrients for healthy brain development in a growing baby. However, fish with higher mercury levels pose a danger to a baby’s brain development.

Pregnant women should not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish, and they should limit white tuna (also known as albacore tuna) and tuna steaks to 6 oz or less per week. In addition, keep safe food practices by not eating sushi or any raw seafood/shellfish.

Pregnant women should make sure that all fish is cooked to an internal temperature of 145 °F. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides a great resource about this topic: Advice about Eating Fish: For Those Who Might Become or are Pregnant or Breastfeeding and Children Ages 1–11 Years.

Infographic from the FDA and EPA providing seafood consumption recommendations based on mercury levels for pregnant or breastfeeding people and children. The chart explains serving sizes and categorizes fish into “Best Choices,” “Good Choices,” and “Choices to Avoid” according to mercury content.

The top section defines serving sizes using the palm of a hand as a guide. For pregnancy and breastfeeding, one serving equals 4 ounces, with recommendations to eat 2 to 3 servings per week from the “Best Choices” list or 1 serving from the “Good Choices” list. For children, serving sizes range from 1 ounce for ages 1 to 3 up to 4 ounces at age 11, with guidance to eat 2 servings per week from the “Best Choices” list.

The “Best Choices” section includes lower-mercury seafood such as salmon, shrimp, tilapia, cod, sardines, canned light tuna, catfish, trout, scallops, and oysters.

The “Good Choices” section includes moderate-mercury seafood such as grouper, mahi mahi, halibut, snapper, albacore tuna, yellowfin tuna, monkfish, and Chilean sea bass.

The “Choices to Avoid” section lists fish with the highest mercury levels, including king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, shark, swordfish, tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, and bigeye tuna.

A note at the bottom advises checking local fish and shellfish advisories for fish caught by family or friends and warns that larger carp, catfish, trout, and perch may contain elevated mercury or other contaminants. FDA and EPA logos appear at the bottom. — **Figure 2.** Advice About Eating Fish Infographic.
*Note.* The content in this graphic is readable as text on the source’s website. From “Advice about eating fish: for those who might become or are pregnant or breastfeeding and children ages 1–11 years,” 2024, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/advice-about-eating-fish).

Additional Reading

Keeping these recommendations in mind goes a long way in keeping women and their babies safe during pregnancy:

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025a, January 31). Listeria outbreak linked to meats sliced at delis. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/delimeats-7-24/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025b, January 31). Safer food choices for pregnant women. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/foods/pregnant-women.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025c, September 24). Clinical overview of listeriosis. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/hcp/clinical-overview/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025d, September 24). People at increased risk for Listeria infection. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/risk-factors/index.html#cdc_risk_factors_who-pregnant-people-and-newborns

FoodSafety.gov. (2025). People at risk: Pregnant women. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.foodsafety.gov/people-at-risk/pregnant-women

Lamont, R. F., Sobel, J., Mazaki-Tovi, S., Kusanovic, J.P., Vaisbuch, E., Kim, S. K., Uldbjerg, N., & Romero, R. (2011). Listeriosis in human pregnancy: a systematic review. Journey of perinatal medicine, 39(3), 227–236. https://doi.org/10.1515/jpm.2011.035

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2018). Separating food (food safety for moms-to-be). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.fda.gov/food/people-risk-foodborne-illness/separating-food-food-safety-moms-be

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2024). Food safety for moms-to-be. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.fda.gov/food/people-risk-foodborne-illness/food-safety-moms-be

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2025). Listeria (Food safety for Moms-to-be). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.fda.gov/food/health-educators/listeria-food-safety-moms-be.

The permalink for this UGA Extension publication is fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/publications/C1349-02/

Circular 1349-02 Published on June 5, 2026

Published by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. For more information or guidance, contact your local Extension office. The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (working cooperatively with Fort Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the counties of Georgia) offers its educational programs, assistance, and materials to all people without regard to age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status, and is an Equal Opportunity Institution.

Published by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. For more information or guidance, contact your local Extension office.

The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (working cooperatively with Fort Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the counties of Georgia) offers its educational programs, assistance, and materials to all people without regard to age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status, and is an Equal Opportunity Institution.

More in the “Maternal Health in Georgia” series

Previous“Nutrition Recommendations for Pregnant Women”

Next“Adequate Weight Gain, Energy, and Physical Activity in Pregnancy”