The short answer. Most food is fine in pregnancy. The consistent "avoid" list is short: raw or undercooked fish, meat and eggs, unpasteurised milk and the soft mould-ripened cheeses made from it, high-mercury fish (shark, swordfish, marlin, king mackerel), liver, and alcohol. A second group is fine in limited amounts — caffeine up to 200 mg a day, tuna a couple of portions a week. Everything else in the list above is safe. Use the search when you need one specific answer, and the trimester filter when the answer depends on how far along you are.
How to read the ratings
Safe
Eat it normally. Where a condition applies — cooked through, pasteurised, washed — the entry says so, because that condition is the whole reason it is safe rather than limited.
Limited
Not off the table, but the amount or the preparation matters. This covers portion caps (tuna, because of mercury), daily totals (caffeine), required conditions (pasteurised only) and foods that need more care in one particular trimester.
Avoid
Skip it for now. Almost every entry here comes down to one of four risks: Listeria, Salmonella, Toxoplasma, or a substance that accumulates — mercury, vitamin A, alcohol.
With no trimester selected, each food shows the strictest of its three ratings. That is deliberate: if something is limited in the first trimester and safe in the third, showing "safe" by default would give the wrong answer to the reader who most needs the right one. Pick your trimester to see the rating that actually applies to you.
The four risks behind almost every "avoid"
| Risk | Where it hides | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Listeria | Unpasteurised milk, soft mould-ripened and blue cheese, pâté, cold smoked fish, pre-prepared salads | Rare, but it crosses the placenta. Symptoms can be mild or flu-like and may appear weeks after the meal. |
| Salmonella | Raw or runny eggs, undercooked poultry, homemade mayonnaise and mousse | Severe sickness and dehydration rather than direct harm to the baby — but dehydration in pregnancy is its own problem. |
| Toxoplasma | Undercooked meat, cured meats, unwashed vegetables and salad | Can affect the baby, particularly in the first trimester. Washing produce properly removes most of the risk. |
| Accumulating substances | High-mercury fish, liver (vitamin A), caffeine, alcohol | The problem is the total over time, not one meal — which is exactly why these are limits rather than bans. |
The questions people actually search for
Sushi
Raw fish is on the avoid list — Listeria, Salmonella and parasites. Cooked sushi (eel, cooked prawn, egg) and vegetarian rolls are fine. Fish that has been commercially frozen before serving is safer, but the guidance stays cautious because you cannot verify it at the counter.
Coffee
200 mg of caffeine a day is the standard ceiling — about two mugs of instant or one filter coffee. Tea, green tea, cola, energy drinks and chocolate all count towards it, which is how people quietly go over without a second coffee.
Cheese
Hard cheese is safe, pasteurised soft cheese is safe, and soft mould-ripened or blue cheese is out unless cooked until steaming. That covers nearly every cheese question in one sentence — the individual entries above give you the specific one.
Deli meat and cured sausage
This is where national guidance genuinely diverges. Cured meats carry a Toxoplasma risk that freezing reduces, and some countries advise against them outright while others allow them. The list above takes the cautious position; your own midwife's advice wins if it differs.
Herbal tea
"Herbal" does not mean "inert". Some herbs are uterine stimulants and several common teas are limited rather than free. Check the individual entry in the Herbs & teas category rather than assuming a tea is safe because it has no caffeine.
Contact your doctor the same day if, after eating something, you have:
- Fever, chills or flu-like aching
- Persistent vomiting or diarrhoea, or any sign of dehydration
- Severe abdominal pain
- Reduced or changed fetal movements — always same-day, never wait-and-see
Listeria in particular can show up days or weeks after the meal, so mention the food even if it no longer feels recent.
What this list does not do
- Cover allergies. Ratings are about pregnancy-specific risk. Your own allergies and intolerances sit on top of them.
- Replace local guidance. Advice on cured meat, soft cheese and raw fish differs by country. Where your midwife is stricter, follow your midwife.
- Account for medical conditions. Gestational diabetes, cholestasis, hyperemesis and food-related conditions all change the picture, and none of them are in a general list.
- Tell you what to eat. This answers "is it safe", not "is it good for me". For that, see the safe foods guide and the supplements guide.
Inside Baby Novum: the same 240 foods, fully offline — the answer arrives at a restaurant table with no signal — plus your recently checked foods, a hydration goal calculated from your weight and trimester, supplement reminders and the full week-by-week guide.
Related guides
FAQ — Food safety in pregnancy
What foods should I avoid completely during pregnancy?
The consistent "avoid" list is raw or undercooked fish and shellfish (sushi, sashimi, oysters), raw or runny eggs unless they carry a recognised safety mark, undercooked meat and pâté, unpasteurised milk and the soft mould-ripened cheeses made from it (brie, camembert, blue cheeses), high-mercury fish (shark, swordfish, marlin, king mackerel), liver and liver products, and alcohol. Search any of them above for the specific reason.
Why does the same food change rating between trimesters?
Because the risk genuinely changes. Some foods are limited in the first trimester and fine later — carrot juice, for example, is high in beta-carotene, which matters most during organogenesis in T1. Use the trimester filter to see the rating that applies to you right now rather than the blanket answer.
How much caffeine is safe in pregnancy?
Standard guidance is a maximum of 200 mg of caffeine a day — roughly two mugs of instant coffee, or one filter coffee. Remember that tea, green tea, cola, energy drinks and chocolate all count towards the same total. Search "coffee" or "tea" above for the individual entries.
Can I eat cheese while pregnant?
Most cheese, yes. Hard cheeses (cheddar, parmesan, gouda) are safe even when unpasteurised. Pasteurised soft cheeses — mozzarella, cream cheese, cottage cheese, halloumi, feta made with pasteurised milk — are safe. What to avoid is soft mould-ripened cheese (brie, camembert) and blue cheese unless they are thoroughly cooked until steaming hot, because they support Listeria growth.
What does "limited" mean here?
That the food is not off the table, but the amount or the preparation matters — a portion cap (tuna), a daily total (caffeine), a required condition (pasteurised only), or a trimester in which to be more careful. Each entry states which one applies.
I ate something on the avoid list. What should I do?
A single exposure is usually not a problem, and most people are fine. Do not panic, but do watch for symptoms — fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, flu-like aches or, in the case of Listeria, symptoms that can appear up to several weeks later. Contact your doctor the same day if you develop any of these, or sooner if you notice reduced fetal movements.
Where do these ratings come from?
They are the same 240 entries that ship inside the Baby Novum app, built from standard prenatal food-safety guidance and reviewed as a set. They are a general reference. Local advice differs in places — some countries are stricter about deli meats than others — so your own doctor or midwife has the final word.
Pregnancy food safety — at a glance
Most food is fine. The permanent "avoid" list is short and specific: raw or undercooked fish, meat and eggs, unpasteurised milk and the soft mould-ripened cheeses made from it, shark, swordfish, marlin and king mackerel for their mercury, liver for its vitamin A, and alcohol. A second, larger group is fine within limits — 200 mg of caffeine a day, a couple of tuna portions a week, pasteurised-only versions of otherwise risky cheeses. Almost everything else, across all twelve categories above, is safe. Four risks explain nearly every restriction: Listeria, Salmonella, Toxoplasma, and substances that accumulate over time. That last group is why those entries are limits rather than bans — a single portion is not the problem, the weekly total is. When a rating changes between trimesters, use the filter: the answer for week 8 is not always the answer for week 32. And if you have already eaten something from the avoid list, the useful response is to watch for fever, sickness or reduced movements and call your doctor the same day if any appear — not to worry about a meal that has already happened.
Baby Novum is an informational and tracking tool, not a medical device, and does not provide medical diagnosis or treatment. Always consult your doctor or midwife about your pregnancy.