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Your pregnancy and baby guide

Foods to avoid in pregnancy

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There are some foods to avoid or take care with when you're pregnant because they might make you ill or harm your baby. 


Cheeses to avoid in pregnancy

Soft cheeses with white rinds

Do not eat mould-ripened soft cheese (cheeses with a white rind) such as brie and Camembert. This includes mould-ripened soft goats' cheese, such as chèvre. These cheeses are only safe to eat in pregnancy if they've been cooked thoroughly, until steaming hot all the way through.

Soft blue cheeses

You should also avoid soft blue-veined cheeses such as Danish blue, Gorgonzola and Roquefort. Soft blue cheeses are only safe to eat in pregnancy if they've been cooked thoroughly, until steaming hot all the way through.


Although infection with listeria (listeriosis) is rare, it's important to take special precautions in pregnancy. Even a mild form of the illness in a pregnant woman can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in a newborn baby.


Cheese that are safe in pregnancy

All hard cheeses are safe in pregnancy

You can eat hard cheeses, such as cheddar, parmesan and Stilton, even if they're made with unpasteurised milk. Hard cheeses do not contain as much water as soft cheeses, so bacteria are less likely to grow in them. It's possible for hard cheese to contain listeria, but the risk is considered to be low.

Soft cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy


These include:

  • cottage cheese
  • mozzarella
  • feta
  • cream cheese
  • paneer
  • ricotta
  • halloumi
  • some types of goats' cheese
  • processed cheeses, such as cheese spreads

Cooked soft cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy

Thorough cooking should kill any bacteria in cheese, so it should be safe to eat cooked mould-ripened soft cheese, such as brie, Camembert and chèvre, and cooked soft blue cheese, such as Roquefort or Gorgonzola, or dishes that contain them.


Further information

Raw or partially cooked eggs

Avoid some raw or partially cooked eggs if you're pregnant


Lion Code eggs are considered very low risk for salmonella, and safe for pregnant women to eat raw or partially cooked. You can eat raw hen eggs or food containing lightly cooked hen eggs (such as soft-boiled eggs, mousses, soufflés and fresh mayonnaise) provided that the eggs are produced under the Lion Code.


If you do not know whether the eggs used are Lion Code or not (for example, in a restaurant or cafe), ask the staff or, to be on the safe side, follow the advice for non-Lion Code eggs.


Find out more about storing and handling eggs safely.


Avoid all types of pâté in pregnancy, including vegetable pâtés, as they can contain listeria.

Meat and game

Raw or undercooked meat is risky in pregnancy



Wash all surfaces and utensils thoroughly after preparing raw meat to avoid the spread of harmful bacteria. Wash and dry your hands after touching or handling raw meat.



Toxoplasmosis often has no symptoms, but if you feel you may have been at risk, discuss it with a GP, midwife or obstetrician. If you're infected while you're pregnant, treatment for toxoplasmosis is available.

Read more about toxoplasmosis.

Be cautious with cold cured meats in pregnancy


It's best to check the instructions on the packet to see whether the product is ready to eat or needs cooking first.


If you're planning to cook the meat – for instance, pepperoni on pizza – you do not need to freeze it first.

If you're eating in a restaurant that serves cold cured or fermented meats, they may not have been frozen. If you're concerned, ask the staff or avoid eating it.

Pre-packed meat is safe to eat if you're pregnant


Liver can harm your unborn baby



It's best to avoid eating game that has been shot with lead pellets while you're pregnant, as it may contain high levels of lead. Venison and other large game sold in supermarkets is usually farmed and contains no or very low levels of lead. If you're not sure whether a product may contain lead, ask the retailer.

Vitamin and fish oil supplements

Do not take high-dose multivitamin supplements, fish liver oil supplements, or any supplements containing vitamin A.

Fish and shellfish


Fish to avoid

When you're pregnant or planning to get pregnant, you should not eat shark, swordfish or marlin.

Fish to restrict

You should also limit the amount of tuna you eat to:

  • no more than 2 tuna steaks a week (about 140g cooked, or 170g raw each), or
  • 4 medium-size cans of tuna a week (about 140g when drained)

This is because tuna contains more mercury than other types of fish. The amount of mercury we get from food is not harmful for most people, but could affect your baby's developing nervous system if you take in high levels of mercury when you're pregnant.

When you're pregnant, you should also avoid having more than 2 portions of oily fish a week, such as salmon, trout, mackerel and herring, as it can contain pollutants such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Remember, tuna does not count as oily fish, so you can eat tuna (2 tuna steaks or 4 medium-size cans) on top of the maximum amount of 2 portions of oily fish.


Always choose cooked, rather than raw, shellfish – including mussels, lobster, crab, prawns, scallops and clams – when you're pregnant, as raw shellfish can contain harmful bacteria and viruses that can cause food poisoning. Cold pre-cooked prawns are fine.

Read more about eating shellfish in pregnancy.

Smoked fish in pregnancy is safe



It's fine to eat raw or lightly cooked fish in dishes such as sushi when you're pregnant, as long as any raw wild fish used to make it has been frozen first.




Lots of the sushi sold in shops is not made at the shop. This type of sushi should be fine to eat. If a shop or restaurant buys ready-made sushi, the raw fish used to make it will have gone through an appropriate freezing treatment.



  • vegetables – for example, cucumber (kappa) maki
  • avocado – for example, California roll
  • fully cooked egg







Milk and yoghurt


Do not drink unpasteurised goats' or sheep's' milk, or eat foods made from them, such as soft goats' cheese.


Ice cream



Foods with soil on them



Consuming high levels of caffeine when you're pregnant can result in your baby having a low birthweight, which can increase the risk of health problems in later life. Too much caffeine can also cause miscarriage.



Some cold and flu remedies also contain caffeine. Talk to a midwife, doctor or pharmacist before taking these remedies.

You do not need to cut out caffeine completely, but do not have more than 200mg a day.

The approximate amount of caffeine found in food and drinks is:

  • a mug of instant coffee: 100mg
  • a mug of filter coffee: 140mg
  • a mug of tea: 75mg
  • a can of cola: 40mg
  • a 250ml can of energy drink: 80mg (larger cans of energy drink may have up to 160mg caffeine)
  • a 50g bar of plain (dark) chocolate: most UK brands contain less than 25mg
  • a 50g bar of milk chocolate: most UK brands contain less than 10mg

If you have 1 can of cola and 1 mug of filter coffee, for example, you have reached almost 200mg of caffeine. Do not worry if you occasionally have more than this amount, as the risks are small.


Herbal teas


The FSA recommends drinking no more than around 4 cups of herbal tea each day during pregnancy, and to seek advice from a GP or midwife if you're unsure about which herbal products are safe to consume.


If you're pregnant or planning to get pregnant, the safest approach is to not drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum.


Find out more about alcohol in pregnancy.



Have a healthy diet in pregnancy

Find out about healthy eating in pregnancy, including healthy snacks.

Read more about how to avoid food poisoning in pregnancy.

You can find pregnancy and baby apps and tools in the NHS Apps library.

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Page last reviewed: 04/10/2019
Next review due: 04/10/2022