Facts about Pregnant Women

If you are pregnant or planning to be pregnant, there are some specific food safety advisories from the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency that you should know about. For more information on these subjects, visit the Food and Drug Administration website, www.foodsafety.gov.

Listeriosis
Listeria monocyotogenes is a bacterium that can cause a serious infection in humans called listeriosis, that results in an estimated 2,500 serious illnesses and 500 deaths each year. Foodborne illness caused by L. monocytogenes in pregnant women can result in miscarriage, fetal death, and severe illness or death of a newborn infant.

FDA is providing the following advice to pregnant women and other at-risk consumers about foods that have a greater likelihood of containing Listeria monocytogenes:

• Do not eat hot dogs and luncheon meats, unless they are reheated until steaming hot.
• Do not eat soft cheese such as Feta, Brie, and Camembert cheeses, blue-veined cheeses, and Mexican-style cheeses such as "queso blanco fresco."
• Cheeses that may be eaten include hard cheese; semi-soft cheeses such as mozzarella; pasteurized processed cheeses such as slices and spreads; cream cheese; and cottage cheese.
• Do not eat refrigerated pates or meat spreads. Canned or shelf-stable pates and meat spreads may be eaten.
• Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood, unless it is contained in a cooked dish, such as a casserole. Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna, or mackerel, is most often labeled as "nova-style," "lox," "kippered," "smoked," or "jerky." The fish is found in the refrigerator section or sold at deli counters of grocery stores and delicatessens. Canned or shelf-stable smoked seafood may be eaten.
• Do not drink raw (unpasteurized) milk or eat foods that contain unpasteurized milk.

Methyl-Mercury

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA advises pregnant women and women of childbearing age who may become pregnant not to eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. FDA is also recommending that nursing mothers and young children not eat these fish as well.

Fish such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish contain high levels of a form of mercury called methyl mercury that may harm an unborn baby's developing nervoussystem. These long-lived, larger fish that feed on smaller fish accumulate the highest levels of methyl mercury and therefore pose the greatest risk to the unborn child. Mercury can occur naturally in the environment and it can be released into the air through industrial pollution and can get into both fresh and salt water.

The FDA advisory acknowledges that seafood can be an important part of a balanced diet for pregnant women and those of childbearing age who may become pregnant. FDA advises these women to select a variety of other kinds of fish -- including shellfish, canned fish, smaller ocean fish or farm-raised fish -- and that these women can safely eat 12 ounces per week of cooked fish. A typical serving size of fish is from 3 to 6 ounces.

The Environmental Protection Agency has also issued advice on possible mercury contamination to women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, nursing mothers and young childred eating fish caught by family and friends (non-commercial fish). To protect against the risks of mercury in fish caught in freshwaters, EPA is recommending that these groups limit fish consumption to one meal per week for adults (6 ounces of cooked fish, 8 ounces uncooked fish) and one meal per week for young children (2 ounces cooked fish or 3 ounces uncooked fish).

EPA particularly recommends that consumers check with their state or local health department for any additional advice on the safety of fish from nearby waters. Additional information is available on EPA's Web site at: www.epa.gov/ost/fish.

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