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Can I eat bean sprouts while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Raw bean sprouts get Avoid from Doola Scan in Australia and Check in the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland, because the guidance asks for sprouts to be cooked. Cooked until steaming hot, they get Check in all six. The FDA says sprouts grow in warm, humid conditions where bacteria thrive, and FoodSafety.gov asks you to cook sprouts thoroughly. Health Canada names mung bean sprouts among the raw sprouts to avoid, Health NZ says not to eat seed sprouts unless cooked, and NSW Health in Australia says not to eat sprouted seeds.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Raw or lightly cooked bean sprouts, as on pho, in salads and spring rolls

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaNew ZealandIrelandAvoidAustralia

  • Bean sprouts cooked until steaming hot, as in a stir-fry or soup

    CheckIn all six countries
Doola Scan checking a plate
What each country says

Bean sprouts while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on bean sprouts, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.

  • Doola has no source from the United Kingdom and Ireland on this yet; their answer comes from the other countries' guidance.

  • United States

    Check
    • FDASprouts grow in warm, humid conditions where bacteria thrive.Source
    • FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Cook sprouts thoroughly.Source
    • USDA FSISAvoid sprouts that are not fully cooked.Source

  • Canada

    Check
    • CPSAvoid raw sprouts.Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid raw sprouts (alfalfa, clover, radish, mung bean); thoroughly cooked sprouts are the safer alternative.Source

  • Australia

    • Raw or lightly cooked bean sprouts, as on pho, in salads and spring rollsAvoid
    • Bean sprouts cooked until steaming hot, as in a stir-fry or soupCheck
    • NSW HealthDo not eat sprouted seeds.Source
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Avoid raw or lightly cooked sprouts.Source
    • FSANZAvoid raw seed sprouts; thoroughly cooked sprouts OK. PBB: any raw or lightly cooked bean sprouts.Source
    • NSW Food AuthorityDo not eat sprouts raw or lightly cooked.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)No raw or lightly cooked bean sprouts.Source

  • New Zealand

    Check
    • Health NZSeed sprouts: don't eat unless cooked.Source
What to check

Before you eat bean sprouts.

  1. Cook bean sprouts until steaming hot

    FoodSafety.gov asks pregnant women to cook sprouts thoroughly, and the FDA says sprouts should not be eaten raw or lightly cooked. A quick toss in the wok that leaves them crunchy is lightly cooked; Australia's Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks for no raw or lightly cooked bean sprouts. FoodSafety.gov

  2. Leave raw sprouts off pho, salads and rolls

    Health Canada asks pregnant women to avoid raw sprouts, naming mung bean sprouts, and says thoroughly cooked sprouts are the better choice. Sprouts added at the table to a bowl of pho or tucked into a fresh roll aren't cooked through, so ask for them on the side or leave them out. Health Canada

  3. In Australia, skip them or cook them through

    NSW Health says not to eat sprouted seeds in pregnancy, and NSW Food Authority says not to eat sprouts raw or lightly cooked. FSANZ says thoroughly cooked sprouts are the alternative to raw ones. NSW Health

Questions

About bean sprouts
in pregnancy.

Doola Scan shows Check for bean sprouts cooked until steaming hot in all six countries. FoodSafety.gov asks for sprouts to be cooked thoroughly, Health NZ says not to eat seed sprouts unless cooked, and FSANZ names thoroughly cooked sprouts as the alternative to raw ones.

Raw bean sprouts get Avoid in Australia and Check in the other five countries. Health Canada, the FDA, Health NZ and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby all ask you not to eat them raw or lightly cooked.

The advice on sprouts is about the chance of bacteria such as listeria and salmonella, not a certainty. If you feel unwell or are worried, call your midwife or doctor; Health NZ asks you to see your doctor if you have symptoms of foodborne illness.

Sprouts in pho are usually added raw at the table, which is what the guidance asks you to avoid. Ask for them cooked in the broth until steaming hot, or leave them out; the pho page covers the rest of the bowl.

Yes, bean shoots (Australia) and togue (the Philippines) are names for bean sprouts. Doola Scan doesn't read those two names on their own yet, so look them up as bean sprouts: Avoid raw in Australia, Check everywhere else, and Check cooked until steaming hot.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. The advice to cook sprouts thoroughly applies from the first weeks of pregnancy to the last.

Health NZ's list of seed sprouts not to eat unless cooked names mung bean, lentil, chickpea, adzuki and others, and Doola Scan reads soybean sprouts the same way as bean sprouts.

Yes. Take a photo of the plate, the menu or the label, and Doola Scan checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance, sprouts included. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
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Point Doola at a plate, a menu or a label. It checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance and shows its sources. Food scans are free, 3 a day.

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Doola shows what official guidance says; it never diagnoses. No known issues means none of these countries' pregnancy guidance names it, not a promise that a food is safe.