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Can I eat brats while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Brats (bratwurst) cooked all the way through show No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries; a brat still pink in the middle shows Check. Brats are sausages, and every country's guidance asks for sausages cooked with no pink. Health Canada gives 71°C for sausages and ground meat, and the FDA 160°F for ground meat. Beer brats show Check everywhere, because of the beer.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Brats grilled, boiled or pan-fried until cooked through

    No known issuesIn all six countries

  • Brats still pink in the middle

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

Brat while pregnant: what each country says.

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

  • Doola has no source from Ireland on this yet; its answer comes from the other countries' guidance.

  • United States

    • Brats grilled, boiled or pan-fried until cooked throughNo known issues
    • Brats still pink in the middleCheck
    • FDAUse a thermometer, not colour: ground meat 160°F, poultry 165°F, pork 145°F with 3-minute rest.Source
    Beer brats, simmered in beer
    • CDCNo known safe amount of alcohol in pregnancy or when trying to get pregnant; all types harmful.Source
    • Dietary Guidelines for Americans (USDA/HHS)Pregnant women should completely avoid alcohol.Source
    • MyHealthfinder (HHS)Don't drink alcohol; no amount is safe in pregnancy or while trying to get pregnant.Source
    • ACOGAny amount of alcohol is at-risk drinking in pregnancy.Source
    • CDCNo known safe amount of alcohol in pregnancy or when trying to get pregnant.Source

  • United Kingdom

    • Brats grilled, boiled or pan-fried until cooked throughNo known issues
    • Brats still pink in the middleCheck
    • FSAPeople who are pregnant should only eat burgers that are thoroughly cooked (steaming hot, no pink, juices clear).Source
    • NHSUndercooked meat can carry toxoplasma, salmonella or E. coli.Source
    Beer brats, simmered in beer
    • NHSAlcohol passes to the baby and can cause lifelong harm (FASD).Source
    • NICEExplain there is no known safe level; the safest approach is to avoid alcohol altogether.Source
    • RCOGSafest not to drink at all when pregnant or possibly pregnant.Source
    • NHSDo not drink alcohol if pregnant or planning to become pregnant.Source

  • Canada

    • Brats grilled, boiled or pan-fried until cooked throughNo known issues
    • Brats still pink in the middleCheck
    • CPSAvoid raw or undercooked meat or poultry.Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid raw or undercooked meat and poultry; cook to safe temperatures (thermometer, colour not reliable).Source
    Beer brats, simmered in beer
    • CPSNo amount of alcohol is considered safe in pregnancy.Source
    • Health CanadaSafest choice is no alcohol when pregnant or planning a pregnancy.Source
    • SOGCNo known safe amount: safest not to drink when pregnant or if you might become pregnant.Source
    • Health CanadaNo amount or type of alcohol in pregnancy is considered safe.Source

  • Australia

    • Brats grilled, boiled or pan-fried until cooked throughNo known issues
    • Brats still pink in the middleCheck
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)No pink in pork, sausages and mince incl. burgers.Source
    Beer brats, simmered in beer
    • Australian Government Department of HealthDo not drink alcohol when pregnant or planning a pregnancy.Source
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Safest not to drink alcohol at all when pregnant.Source
    • FSANZWomen who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not drink alcohol.Source
    • NHMRCWomen who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not drink alcohol.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Safest not to drink alcohol when planning, pregnant or breastfeeding.Source

  • New Zealand

    • Brats grilled, boiled or pan-fried until cooked throughNo known issues
    • Brats still pink in the middleCheck
    • Health NZCook meat until piping hot and juices run clear; never rare or undercooked.Source
    Beer brats, simmered in beer
    • Health NZStop drinking if you could be pregnant, are pregnant or trying; no known safe level.Source
    • Health NZStop drinking alcohol if you could be pregnant, are pregnant or trying to get pregnant; no known safe level.Source

  • Ireland

    • Brats grilled, boiled or pan-fried until cooked throughNo known issues
    • Brats still pink in the middleCheck
    Beer brats, simmered in beer
    • HSENo amount of alcohol at any stage of pregnancy is safe; do not drink when trying to conceive.Source
What to check

Before you eat brat.

  1. Cook brats until the middle reaches 71°C (160°F)

    Health Canada's chart gives 71°C (160°F) for sausages, burgers and other ground meat, and the FDA asks for ground meat cooked to 160°F. Push a thermometer in from the end of the brat so the tip sits in the middle. Health Canada

  2. Cut one open: no pink, juices clear

    Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks for no pink in sausages and mince, and for all meat cooked to at least 75°C and eaten hot. The NHS asks for sausages cooked thoroughly with no pink or blood, and Health NZ for meat cooked until the juices run clear. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

  3. Know that beer brats keep some of the beer

    Doola Scan shows Check for beer brats in all six countries because they're cooked in beer. The CDC advises no alcohol in pregnancy or while trying to get pregnant, and says all types of alcohol are equally harmful. CDC

Questions

About brat
in pregnancy.

Brats cooked through, with no pink in the middle, show No known issues in Doola Scan in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. Undercooked brats show Check, because every country asks for sausages cooked all the way through.

Beer brats show Check in Doola Scan in all six countries, because of the beer they're simmered in. Every country's guidance asks for no alcohol in pregnancy. None of these countries' pregnancy food lists says how much alcohol stays in food cooked in beer, so you can grill plain brats instead.

A thermometer in the middle should read 71°C (160°F), Health Canada's number for sausages. The FDA says colour alone is not a reliable sign that meat is cooked, and Health NZ asks for the juices to run clear.

None of these lists names pre-cooked brats. FoodSafety.gov asks for hot dogs and deli meats to be reheated until steaming hot or 165°F, so heat pre-cooked brats through on the grill rather than eating them cold.

Ask for one straight off the grill and cooked through, with no pink in the middle. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks for meat eaten hot, not left to sit.

Sauerkraut and mustard show No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries. None of these countries' pregnancy food lists names them.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. Cook brats through with no pink from the first weeks of pregnancy to the last.

Yes. Take a photo of the plate, the pack or the menu, and Doola Scan checks it against your country's pregnancy guidance, with what to ask. 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.