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Did you know you are more likely to get sick with a food-borne illness when you’re pregnant?

If you have kids under five, they’re also at higher risk of food borne illness because their immune system is still developing.
That’s why it’s super important to follow the steps for food safety.

Number one inside a green-bordered circle

Clean

  • You already know how critical hand washing is, but do you do it often enough? Always wash for 15-20 seconds (one slow verse of the birthday song) before cooking and after using the restroom, touching things like pets, your hair, diapers, after blowing your nose or after handling raw eggs, meat, poultry or seafood.
  • Oops! You could be spreading bacteria on your countertop if you’re using a sponge or rag that isn’t clean. Wash sponges and dish rags every day. Sanitize a sponge by wetting it then put in the microwave on high for 1 minute. You can also put sponges in the dishwasher on the hottest and longest cycle + dry cycle, or soak sponges or rags in a bleach solution of ½ teaspoon unscented bleach with 4 cups of warm water. You can also use this solution to sanitize countertops and then air dry.
  • Bacteria on produce can also make you sick. Wash the outside of fruits and vegetables with water, using a brush if possible, for at least 30 seconds, even if you don’t plan on eating the skin.
Hands washing with soap at sink
Yellow sponge cleaning soapy glass surface
Washing carrots under running water in kitchen sink
Number two inside red-bordered circle

Separate

  • Always keep raw meats, poultry, seafood, and produce separate. At the store, put them in separate bags to bring home.
  • Store raw protein foods away from other foods in the refrigerator, especially produce. When defrosting meats, put the package in a bowl to prevent blood from spilling onto other foods. Never thaw food on the counter—it’s best to thaw or marinate meat, poultry and seafood in the refrigerator. You can also defrost in the microwave if you cook it right away.
  • It’s best to designate a different cutting board for meat and produce to make sure the juices stay separate.
Lettuce, sliced veggies, and frozen meat in refrigerator
Family joyfully preparing vegetables together in kitchen
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Cook… and Chill!

  • Cook meats to a safe temperature. The best way to know if a food is “done” is to use a food thermometer and cook to these internal temperatures:
  • 145° F – Beef, Pork, Veal, Ham, Lamb, Fish, and Shellfish
  • 160° F – Ground meats and Eggs
  • 165° F – All Poultry, Leftovers, and Casseroles
  • Avoid eating uncooked foods made with raw eggs like homemade ice cream, raw cake batter or homemade Caesar salad dressing. Also don’t eat raw cookie dough, even if it doesn’t have eggs because uncooked flour can carry bacteria.
  • Cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm to the touch— “over medium.”
  • Cook fish and shellfish until the proper internal temperature or until they are opaque.
Roasted chicken and vegetables in blue pot with thermometer
Two eggs frying in a cast iron skillet
  • Keep food above 140° F after cooking.
  • Don’t keep food at room temperature for more than 2 hours, limit to 1 hour if you are outside and it’s 90° F or hotter.
  • When putting leftovers away, put in shallow containers so they cool quickly.
  • Set your refrigerator at 40° F or below and your freezer at 0° F or below.

A Few More Tips Just for Pregnancy

  • Heat deli meat, hot dogs, fermented and dry sausage to steaming.
  • Say “no thanks” to cold, pre-made deli foods like chicken or tuna salad.
  • Avoid eating pâté and cold meat spreads from the refrigerated or deli section. Spreads that are in cans, jars, or sealed packets are okay.
  • Don’t eat smoked seafood such as lox, seafood jerky or nova-style unless you heat it to 165° F first.
  • Don’t drink raw unpasteurized juice such as cider or fresh squeezed orange juice unless you boil them for at least one minute first.
  • Soft cheeses like queso blanco, queso fresco, brie, feta, camembert or Roquefort are okay ONLY if the label says, “made with pasteurized milk.”
  • Avoid raw sprouts.
  • If possible DON’T clean cat litter boxes when you’re pregnant and don’t let cats on food prep or eating areas. Cats often carry a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii which can live in cat feces (poop) and can be spread from a cat’s paws to other surfaces. Most people will show no symptoms after being infected. But for pregnant women, the infection can be serious and cause miscarriage.
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Sometimes foods are recalled due to bacteria that could make you sick. Find a list of recalled food items here:
https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/outbreaks/lists/outbreaks-list.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Ffoodsafety%2Foutbreaks%2Fmultistate-outbreaks%2Foutbreaks-list.html