Food Safety for Pregnant Women

It's Your Health

This article was produced in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada.

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On this page:

• The Issue
• Increased Risks for Pregnant Women and their Unborn Babies
• Foodborne Illnesses that Pose Higher Risks to Pregnant Women and their Unborn Babies
• Minimizing Your Risk
• Select the Safer Alternative
• Background
• The Government of Canada's Role
• Need More Info?

The Issue

During pregnancy, your immune system changes. As a result, your risk of developing a  foodborne illness increases, and even a mild case of food poisoning can lead to serious health effects for you and your unborn baby.

If you are pregnant, you should take extra care when handling, storing, preparing and shopping for food. In addition, consumption of certain high-risk foods should be avoided.

Increased Risks for Pregnant Women and their Unborn Babies

When you become pregnant, your immune system changes, so that it can protect both you and your developing baby. Some parts of your immune system are enhanced, while others are suppressed. This creates a balance that can protect your growing baby from infections and keep you healthy at the same time. However, the changes in your immune system put you at greater risk of contracting  foodborne illness. For example, pregnant women are 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to develop listeriosis (illness resulting from Listeria infection).

When a pregnant woman contracts a  foodborne illness, the developing baby is at greater risk of experiencing serious health effects, even if the mother's illness appears to be mild. For example, food poisoning can dehydrate the mother and deprive the baby of nourishment. In addition, food poisoning can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery of a low-birth-weight infant, serious illness (such as a brain infection), or the death of a newborn baby.

Foodborne Illnesses that Pose Higher Risks to Pregnant Women and their Unborn Babies

The following types of foodborne illnesses are particularly dangerous for pregnant women and their unborn babies:

Listeria infection - caused by bacteria that may be found in a wide variety of refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods such as dairy products, cold cuts, and hot dogs.

 E. coli O157:H7 infection - caused by bacteria that may be found in foods such as raw and undercooked ground beef, unpasteurized fruit juice/cider, sprouts, and unpasteurized dairy products.

 Vibrio infection - caused by bacteria that may be found in raw and undercooked shellfish, such as oysters, clams, and mussels.

Salmonella infection - caused by bacteria that may be found in a wide variety of foods but especially in raw and undercooked chicken, raw eggs, and raw milk.

Minimizing Your Risk

Because of the way foods are produced and the conditions and length of time they are stored, some foods can pose a higher risk to pregnant women. You can minimize your chances of contracting a serious foodborne illness and affecting the health of your unborn baby by avoiding some types of foods and choosing safer alternatives.

 

Select the Safer Alternative

(Always refer to the Internal Cooking Temperatures Chart)

Type of Food	Food to Avoid	Safer Alternative
Hot dogs	Hot dogs straight from the package without further heating.	Hot dogs thoroughly cooked to a safe internal temperature. The middle of the hot dog should be steaming hot or 74°C (165°F)
	Tip: To help prevent foodborne illness, avoid spreading fluid from packages onto other food, cutting boards, utensils, dishes and food preparation surfaces. Wash your hands after handling hot dogs.
Deli meats	Non-dried deli meats, such as bologna, roast beef and turkey breast.	Dried and salted deli meats such as salami and pepperoni. Non-dried deli meats heated throughout to steaming hot.
Egg and egg products	Raw or lightly cooked egg or egg products, including salad dressings, cookie dough or cake batter sauces, and drinks such as homemade eggnog.	Egg dishes thoroughly cooked to a safe internal temperature. Eggs should be cooked until the yolk is firm. Homemade eggnog must be heated to 71°C (160°F).
	Tip: Pasteurized egg products can be used when making uncooked food that calls for raw eggs.
Meat and poultry	Raw or undercooked meat or poultry, such as steak tartare.	Meat and poultry cooked to a safe internal temperature. (refer to the Internal Cooking Temperatures Chart)
	Tip: To help prevent foodborne illness, remember to use a digital food thermometer to check the internal temperature.
Seafood	Raw seafood, such as sushi. Raw oysters, clams, and mussels. Refrigerated, smoked seafood.	Seafood cooked to a safe internal temperature of 74°C (165°F). Cook until the shell has opened. Smoked seafood in cans that do not require refrigeration until after opening.
	Tip: Refrigerated smoked seafood can be eaten safely when fully cooked to a safe internal temperature, such as in a casserole.
Dairy products	Raw or unpasteurized dairy products, including soft and semi-soft cheese, such as Brie, Camembert and blue-veined cheese.	Pasteurized dairy products, hard cheeses such as Colby, Cheddar, Swiss, and Parmesan.
Sprouts	Raw sprouts such as alfalfa, clover, radish, and mung beans.	Thoroughly cooked sprouts.
Pâtés and meat spreads	Refrigerated pâtés and meat spreads.	Pâtés and meat spreads sold in cans or those that do not require refrigeration until after opening.
Fruit juice and cider	Unpasteurized fruit juice and cider.	Unpasteurized fruit juice and cider brought to a rolling boil and cooled. Pasteurized fruit juice and cider.

In addition, there are four basic safety steps you should always follow when handling, storing, preparing and shopping for food:

Separate: Make sure to always separate your raw foods, such as meat and eggs, from cooked foods, fruits, and vegetables to avoid cross-contamination.

Clean: Wash your hands, kitchen surfaces, utensils, and reusable shopping bags often with warm, soapy water to eliminate bacteria and reduce your risk of foodborne illness.

Chill: Always refrigerate food and leftovers promptly at 4°C or below. 

Cook: Always cook food to the safe internal temperatures. Health Canada recommends that you check this by using a digital food thermometer. Cooked foods are safe to eat when internal temperatures are:

• 71°C (160°F) for ground meat (beef, veal, lamb and pork)
• 74°C (165°F) for leftover food and boned and deboned poultry parts
• 85°C (185°F) for whole poultry 

Also, it is strongly suggested that you pay attention to  food recalls and learn more about food safety. The Need More Info? section below lists resources with many more tips on safe food practices. For example, there is a link to charts on the proper internal temperatures for cooked meats, poultry and seafood, as well as the length of time you can store various food items safely in your fridge and freezer.

Background

It is estimated that there are approximately 11 million cases of  foodborne illness in Canada every year. Foodborne illness, often called food poisoning, occurs when you eat food contaminated with disease-causing organisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

The most common symptoms of  foodborne illness include stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and fever. Depending on the type of bacteria virus or parasites, these symptoms can begin a few hours after eating contaminated food or can be delayed by several days, or even weeks. Most people affected by foodborne illnesses recover completely; some, however, suffer more serious health effects, including such conditions as brain infections and blood poisoning, which in rare cases could be fatal.

The risk of serious health effects after eating contaminated food depends on a number of factors:

• your age, general health status and ability to fight disease; and
• the type and amount of bacteria, viruses, or parasites in the food you eat.

The Government of Canada's Role

Several federal agencies act in partnership to safeguard Canada's food safety. Health Canada sets policies and standards governing the safety and nutritional quality of all food sold in Canada. The  Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) enforces the policies and ensures that necessary warnings are released quickly to the Canadian public. The  Public Health Agency of Canada conducts surveillance on outbreaks of foodborne illness and provides advice to protect the health of Canadians.

As a founding member of the  Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education, Health Canada also participates in public awareness campaigns about safe food practices. An example is the  FightBAC!^® program, which encourages consumers to think of food safety at every step of the food handling process, from shopping for groceries to reheating leftovers.

Need More Info?

• See Health Canada's web section on Food-Related Illnesses  
• Visit the Health Canada web section In Your Kitchen for safety tips on how to safely handle, prepare and cook your food 
• For FightBAC^® tips and Food Safety Brochures, visit the  Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education. This site has handy  charts on safe cooking temperatures and safe cold storage.
• Go to the It's Your Health web section on Food and Nutrition for articles on food safety. 
• See the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's web section on  Common Causes of Foodborne Illness 
• Visit the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's web section on  Food Recalls and Allergy Alerts
• Go to the Public Health Agency of Canada's web section on  Food Safety  
• Visit the Health Canada's Healthy Pregnancy web section 
• Healthy Canadians,  Healthy Pregnancy
• For additional articles on health and safety issues go to the It's Your Health web section

You can also call toll free at 1-866-225-0709 or TTY at 1-800-267-1245^*

Original: March 2010
^© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Health, 2010