Food Safety for Pregnant Women IT’S YOUR HEALTHwilsonmedical.ca/images/food safety.pdf · Food Safety for Pregnant Women Original March 2010 IT’S YOUR HEALTHIT’S YOUR HEALTH

IT’S YOUR HEALTHIT’S YOUR HEALTHThis article was produced in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Food Safety for Pregnant Women

Food Safety for Pregnant Women

Original

March 2010

The IssueDuring pregnancy, your immune systemchanges. As aresult, your riskof developing afoodborne illnessincreases, andeven a mild caseof foodpoisoning canlead to serioushealth effects foryou and yourunborn baby.

If you arepregnant, you should take extra care whenhandling, storing, preparing and shoppingfor food. In addition, consumption ofcertain high-risk foods should be avoided.

Increased Risks for PregnantWomen and their UnbornBabiesWhen you become pregnant, your immunesystem changes, so that it can protect bothyou and your developing baby. Some partsof your immune system are enhanced,while others are suppressed. This creates abalance that can protect your growingbaby from infections and keep you healthyat the same time. However, the changes inyour immune system put you at greaterrisk of contracting foodborne illnesses.For example, pregnant women are 20times more likely than other healthy adults

to developlisteriosis(illnessresultingfrom Listeriainfection).

When apregnantwomancontracts afoodborneillness, thedevelopingbaby is at greater risk of experiencingserious health effects, even if the mother’sillness appears to be mild. For example,food poisoning can dehydrate the motherand deprive the baby of nourishment. Inaddition, food poisoning can causemiscarriage, stillbirth, premature deliveryof a low-birth-weight infant, seriousillness (such as a brain infection), or thedeath of a newborn baby.

Foodborne Illnesses thatPose Higher Risks toPregnant Women and theirUnborn Babies The following types of foodborne illnessesare particularly dangerous for pregnantwomen and their unborn babies:

Listeria infection – caused by bacteriathat may be found in a wide variety ofrefrigerated, ready- to-eat foods such asdairy products, cold cuts, and hot dogs.

E. coli O157:H7 infection – caused bybacteria that may be found in foodssuch as raw and undercooked groundbeef, unpasteurized fruit juice/cider,sprouts, and unpasteurized dairy products.

Vibrio infection – caused by bacteriathat may be found in raw andundercooked shellfish, such as oysters,clams, and mussels.

Salmonella infection – caused bybacteria that may be found in a widevariety of foods but especially in rawand undercooked chicken, raw eggs,and raw milk.

Minimizing Your Risk

Because of the way foods are producedand the conditions and length of timethey are stored, some foods can pose ahigher risk to pregnant women. Youcan minimize your chances ofcontracting a serious foodborne illnessand affecting the health of your unbornbaby by avoiding some types of foodsand choosing safer alternatives.

Select the Safer Alternative(Always refer to the Internal CookingTemperatures Chart)

Type of Food

Hot dogs

Food to AvoidHot dogs straight from the packagewithout further heating.

Safer Alternative

Hot dogs thoroughly cooked to a safeinternal temperature. The middle ofthe hot dog should be steaming hot or74°C (165°F)

Tip: To help prevent foodborne illness,

Raw oysters, clams, and mussels.

Refrigerated, smoked seafood.

Safer AlternativeSeafood cooked to a safe internaltemperature of 74°C (165°F).

Cook until the shell has opened.

Smoked seafood in cans that do notrequire refrigeration until after opening.

Tip: Refrigerated smoked seafood canbe eaten safely when fully cooked to asafe internal temperature, such as in acasserole.

Type of Food

Dairy products

Food to AvoidRaw or unpasteurized dairy products,including soft and semi-soft cheese,such as Brie, Camembert and blue-veined cheese.

Safer AlternativePasteurized dairy products, hardcheeses such as Colby, Cheddar, Swiss,and Parmesan.

Type of Food

Sprouts

Food to AvoidRaw sprouts such as alfalfa, clover,radish, and mung beans.

Safer AlternativeThoroughly cooked sprouts.

Type of Food

Pâtés and meat spreads

Food to AvoidRefrigerated pâtés and meat spreads.

Safer AlternativePâtés and meat spreads sold in cans orthose that do not require refrigerationuntil after opening.

Type of Food

Fruit juice and cider

Food to AvoidUnpasteurized fruit juice and cider.

Safer AlternativeUnpasteurized fruit juice and ciderbrought to a rolling boil and cooled.Pasteurized fruit juice and cider.

avoid spreading fluid from packagesonto other food, cutting boards,utensils, dishes and food preparationsurfaces. Wash your hands afterhandling hot dogs.

Type of Food

Deli meats

Food to AvoidNon-dried deli meats, such as bologna,roast beef and turkey breast.

Safer AlternativeDried and salted deli meats such assalami and pepperoni.Non-dried deli meats heated throughoutto steaming hot.

Type of Food

Egg and egg products

Food to AvoidRaw or lightly cooked egg or eggproducts, including salad dressings,cookie dough or cake batter sauces, anddrinks such as homemade eggnog.

Safer AlternativeEgg dishes thoroughly cooked to a safeinternal temperature. Eggs should becooked until the yolk is firm.

Homemade eggnog must be heated to71°C (160°F).

Tip: Pasteurized egg products can beused when making uncooked food thatcalls for raw eggs.

Type of Food

Meat and poultry

Food to AvoidRaw or undercooked meat or poultry,such as steak tartare.

Safer AlternativeMeat and poultry cooked to a safeinternal temperature. (refer to theInternal Cooking Temperatures Chart)

Tip: To help prevent foodborne illness,remember to use a digital foodthermometer to check the internaltemperature.

Type of Food

Seafood

Food to AvoidRaw seafood, such as sushi.

In addition, there are four basic safetysteps you should always follow whenhandling, storing, preparing, and shoppingfor food:

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

Clean:Wash your hands, kitchen surfaces,utensils, and reusable shopping bags oftenwith warm,soapy waterto eliminatebacteria andreduce yourrisk offoodborneillness.

Chill:Alwaysrefrigeratefood and leftovers promptly at 4˚ C orbelow.

Cook: Always cook food to the safeinternal temperatures. Health Canadarecommends that you check this by usinga digital food thermometer. Cooked foodsare 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, andboned and deboned poultry parts

• 85˚ C (185˚ F) for whole poultry

Also, it is strongly suggested that you payattention to food recalls and learn moreabout food safety. The Need More Info?section below lists resources with many

Food Safety for Pregnant Women

Original

March 2010IT’S YOUR HEALTHIT’S YOUR HEALTH

more tips on safe food practices. Forexample, there is a link to charts on theproper internal temperatures for cookedmeats, poultry and seafood and on thelength of time you can store various fooditems safely in your fridge and freezer.

Also, it is strongly suggested that you payattention to food recalls and learn moreabout food safety. The Need More Info?section below lists resources with manymore tips on safe food practices. Forexample, there is a link to charts on theproper internal temperatures for cookedmeats, poultry and seafood, as well as thelength of time you can store various fooditems safely in your fridge and freezer.

BackgroundIt is estimated that there are approximately11 million cases of foodborne illnesses inCanada every year. Foodborne illness,often called food poisoning, occurs whenyou eat food contaminated with disease-causing organisms, such as bacteria,viruses, and parasites.

The most common symptoms offoodborne illness include stomach cramps,nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, andfever. Depending on the type of bacteriavirus or parasites, these symptoms canbegin a few hours after eatingcontaminated food or can be delayed byseveral days, or even weeks. Most peopleaffected by foodborne illnesses recovercompletely; some, however, suffer moreserious health effects, including suchconditions as brain infections and bloodpoisoning, which in rare cases couldbe fatal.

The risk of serious health effects aftereating contaminated food depends on anumber of factors:

• your age, general health status andability to fight disease; and

• the type and amount of bacteria,viruses, or parasites in the food youeat.

The Government ofCanada’s RoleSeveral federal agencies act inpartnership to safeguard Canada’s foodsafety. Health Canada sets policies andstandards governing the safety andnutritional quality of all food sold inCanada. The Canadian Food InspectionAgency (CFIA) enforces the policiesand ensures that necessary warnings arereleased quickly to the Canadianpublic. The Public Health Agency ofCanada conducts surveillance onoutbreaks of foodborne illness andprovides advice to protect the health of Canadians.

As a founding member of the CanadianPartnership for Consumer Food SafetyEducation, Health Canada alsoparticipates in public awarenesscampaigns about safe food practices.An example is the FightBAC!®program, which encourages consumersto think of food safety at every step ofthe food handling process, fromshopping for groceries to reheatingleftovers.

Need More Info?• See Health Canada’s web section on

Food-Related Illnesses at: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/ill-intox/index-eng.php

• Visit the Health Canada web sectionIn Your Kitchen for Safety Tipssection for tips on how to safelyhandle, prepare and cook your food,at: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/kitchen-cuisine/index-eng.php

• For FightBAC® tips and FoodSafety Brochures, visit the CanadianPartnership for Consumer FoodSafety Education at:www.canfightbac.org/cpcfse/en/.This site has handy charts on safecooking temperatures and safe coldstorage at:www.canfightbac.org/en/cookwell/charts/

• Go to the It’s Your Health websection on Food and Nutrition at:www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/index-eng.phpfor articles on food safety.

• See the Canadian Food InspectionAgency’s web section on CommonCauses of Foodborne Illness, at:www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/causee.shtml

• Visit the Canadian Food InspectionAgency’s web section on FoodRecalls and Allergy Alerts, at:www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/recaltoce.shtml

• Go to the Public Health Agency ofCanada’s web section on FoodSafety at:www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/fs-sa/index-eng.php

• Visit the Health Canada’s HealthyPregnancy web section at www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/preg-gros/index-eng.php

• Healthy Canadians, HealthyPregnancy at:www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/hp-gs/index_e.html

• For additional articles on health andsafety issues go to the It’s YourHealth web section at:www.healthcanada.gc.ca/iyhYou 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, representedby the Minister of Health, 2010Catalogue # H13-7/77-2010E-PDFISBN # 978-1-100-15324-7