During pregnancy, avoid foods with a higher risk of food poisoning, follow the Australian limits for higher-mercury fish, and avoid alcohol. Plenty of familiar foods can stay on the menu. Often the important difference is whether a food is freshly prepared, thoroughly cooked and stored safely.
This guide groups the main precautions into nine areas. It follows Australian advice, particularly NSW Food Authority guidance, which can differ from overseas recommendations.
1. Raw or undercooked meat and eggs
Choose thoroughly cooked meat, poultry and eggs. Avoid raw meat dishes and foods containing raw egg, such as homemade mayonnaise, mousse or uncooked cake batter. Commercial shelf-stable mayonnaise is a different product; follow its storage instructions after opening.
Keep raw meat and its utensils away from ready-to-eat food. Ask how an egg dish or sauce is made if you are unsure. See Pregnancy, Birth and Baby’s food guide.
2. Cold deli meats, cold chicken and refrigerated pâté
Avoid cold deli meats, cold cooked chicken and refrigerated pâté or meat spreads. Processed meats such as ham and salami can be eaten when heated thoroughly to at least 75°C and eaten soon afterwards. Freshly cooked hot chicken is an alternative to a cold sandwich-bar filling.
NSW Food Authority explains these precautions. Refrigeration does not eliminate the risk of listeria.
3. Unpasteurised dairy and some cheeses
Avoid unpasteurised milk and dairy products. Choose pasteurised milk and yoghurt or hard cheese such as cheddar. Avoid cold brie, camembert, fetta, ricotta and blue cheese, even when made with pasteurised milk; NSW guidance allows these when cooked throughout to at least 75°C and eaten soon afterwards.
The NSW pregnancy food table also explains storage precautions for other cheeses. Soft-serve ice-cream is best avoided; packaged frozen ice-cream is an alternative.
4. Raw seafood, chilled peeled prawns and shop-bought sushi
Avoid raw fish and shellfish, refrigerated smoked seafood eaten cold, and ready-to-eat chilled peeled prawns. Choose seafood cooked thoroughly and served hot.
NSW guidance advises against shop-bought sushi, including varieties without raw fish. Homemade sushi is an option if it contains no raw meat or seafood, is prepared hygienically and is eaten immediately. Cooked fillings do not remove storage risks from a shop-bought roll.
5. Higher-mercury fish: limit the type and amount
Lower-mercury choices include salmon and sardines. You do not need to avoid all fish. Mercury precautions are separate from food-poisoning precautions, and cooking does not remove mercury.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand gives these limits for pregnancy and when planning pregnancy. One portion in this advice is 150 g:
- Orange roughy (deep sea perch) or catfish: no more than one portion in a week, with no other fish that week.
- Shark (flake), swordfish/broadbill or marlin: no more than one portion in a fortnight, with no other fish that fortnight.
These are alternative limits, not allowances to add together. Check the fish species when ordering, and remember that a restaurant portion may be larger. The FSANZ portion used for mercury limits differs from a standard dietary-guideline serve.
6. Pre-prepared salads, raw sprouts and some produce
Avoid pre-packaged salads and sandwiches, salad-bar food and rockmelon. Wash whole fruit and vegetables before preparing them. Cook sprouts, enoki mushrooms and frozen vegetables thoroughly; do not eat them raw or lightly cooked.
A freshly prepared meal lets you choose and handle the ingredients yourself. If someone is making food for you, tell them about the pregnancy precautions rather than assuming they know.
7. Hummus, tahini and unpasteurised drinks
NSW Food Authority advises avoiding hummus, tahini and other sesame pastes, including homemade versions, during pregnancy. Avoid unpasteurised juice as well as raw milk. Fermented drinks such as kombucha may contain alcohol and pose contamination risks.
For dips or drinks you are unsure about, check the current food table. “Homemade”, “organic” and “natural” do not by themselves establish safety.
8. Liver and unsuitable supplements
Avoid liver and liver products because they can contain high amounts of preformed vitamin A. Do not add vitamin A/retinol supplements or high-dose vitamins without advice from your doctor or pharmacist. Pregnancy supplements are not interchangeable with general multivitamins.
See Australian supplement guidance and our pregnancy nutrition guide for folic acid, iodine and individual supplement needs.
9. Alcohol, energy drinks and too much caffeine
Avoid alcohol throughout pregnancy and while trying to conceive, as recommended by the NHMRC. If you drank before you knew, discuss it with your doctor or midwife rather than assuming harm has occurred. Ask for support if stopping is difficult.
Keep total caffeine to no more than 200 mg a day, including coffee, tea, cola, chocolate and medicines containing caffeine. Coffee amounts vary considerably; “one cup” is not a reliable measure. Avoid energy drinks. See caffeine advice for pregnancy.
What about leftovers?
Keep your fridge below 5°C. Refrigerate leftovers promptly in covered containers, use within 24 hours and reheat until steaming hot throughout. Reheat only once. Do not use reheating to rescue food that has been left out or stored unsafely. Check use-by dates and follow product storage instructions.
Healthdirect’s listeria guidance explains why freshly prepared food and short storage times matter in pregnancy.
If you have already eaten a higher-risk food
Eating something on an avoid list does not mean you are infected. Note what you ate and when. If it is linked to a food recall or suspected contamination, contact your doctor promptly for advice, even if you feel well.
Get urgent medical advice if you develop fever, flu-like aches, vomiting or diarrhoea after a possible exposure. Listeria can cause relatively mild illness in the pregnant person while posing a serious risk to the baby. Tell the clinician you are pregnant and mention the food or recall.
Seek urgent help if you cannot keep fluids down, have signs of dehydration, severe abdominal pain, or feel very unwell. Contact your maternity unit immediately if your baby is moving less than usual. Call 000 for collapse or severe breathing difficulty.
For broader food-poisoning symptoms and care, see Healthdirect’s food-poisoning advice. Your pregnancy care team can advise on your particular exposure; a food list cannot assess that risk for you.
This is general information for an Australian audience, not a diagnosis or a substitute for individual medical advice.