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Can I eat a California roll while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

A California roll, imitation crab with avocado and cucumber, shows Check in Doola Scan in the US, UK and Canada and Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. The check is the cold, ready-to-eat crab, which the stricter guidance in those three countries advises against. The NHS lists sushi made with cooked fish or cooked shellfish among the foods you can have in pregnancy. In Australia, NSW Food Authority says not to eat store-bought sushi at all.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • California roll with imitation crab, avocado and cucumber

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaAvoidAustraliaNew ZealandIreland

  • California roll made with real crab meat

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaAvoidAustraliaNew ZealandIreland
Doola Scan checking a plate
What each country says

California roll while pregnant: what each country says.

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

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

  • United States

    Check
    • FDAPreviously cooked seafood is lower risk when reheated to 165°F; partially cooked shrimp and crab are higher risk.Source
    • MotherToBabyVery high iodine from diet alone is unlikely unless high-iodine foods such as seaweed are eaten very often.Source
    Rolls with raw fish
    • FDAPregnant people should avoid raw fish, partially cooked seafood and refrigerated smoked seafood.Source
    • FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Avoid raw sushi, sashimi and ceviche; cook seafood to 145°F.Source

  • United Kingdom

    Check
    • NHSChilled ready-to-eat seafood can carry listeria.Source
    Rolls with raw fish
    • NHSRaw fish can carry listeria and parasites.Source

  • Canada

    Check
    Rolls with raw fish
    • CPSAvoid raw fish in pregnancy.Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid raw seafood such as sushi; cook seafood to 74 °C (165 °F).Source

  • Australia

    Avoid
    • NSW Food AuthorityDo not eat ready-to-eat chilled peeled prawns.Source
    • NSW HealthDo not eat chilled ready-to-eat prawns.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Do not eat pre-cooked prawns.Source
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Avoid cooked, chilled seafood such as peeled prawns unless cooked again.Source
    • FSANZAvoid chilled cooked prawns; eat freshly cooked or reheated steaming hot.Source
    • FSANZNo more than one serve a week of brown seaweed.Source
    Rolls with raw fish
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Avoid sashimi and sushi.Source
    • FSANZAvoid raw/chilled RTE seafood: oysters, sushi, sashimi, ceviche. PBB: safest sushi is homemade.Source
    • NSW Food AuthorityDo not eat store-bought sushi; home-made without raw fish is OK.Source
    • NSW HealthDo not eat raw seafood.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)No raw or ready-to-eat fish such as sashimi and sushi.Source

  • New Zealand

    Avoid
    • Health NZAvoid cooked ready-to-eat prawns.Source
    • Health NZBrown seaweed limited to 1 serve a week; nori and other red/green seaweed OK; no label criterion.Source
    Rolls with raw fish
    • Health NZUnsafe for pregnant people: raw oysters, sashimi, sushi and other chilled seafood.Source

  • Ireland

    Avoid
    • HSEAvoid clams, oysters, scallops, prawns, mussels - risk highest if pre-cooked.Source
    Rolls with raw fish
    • HSEAvoid raw or smoked fish, including sushi.Source
What to check

Before you eat California roll.

  1. In the US, UK and Canada, choose rolls with cooked fillings

    The NHS lists sushi made with cooked fish or cooked shellfish among the foods you can have in pregnancy, and sushi made with raw fish, even if previously frozen, as a food to avoid. Ask what's in the roll if you're not sure. NHS

  2. In Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, skip shop rolls with cold crab

    NSW Food Authority says not to eat store-bought sushi in pregnancy, and that home-made sushi without raw fish is fine. Health NZ asks for home-made sushi with freshly cooked rice and no raw or cold cooked seafood, eaten straight away. Ireland's HSE says the risk from shellfish is highest if it's pre-cooked. NSW Food Authority

  3. Count the nori with your seaweed

    Nori shows Check in Doola Scan in all six countries, for iodine. Health NZ's once-a-week limit is for brown seaweed, not nori. Health NZ

Questions

About California roll
in pregnancy.

A California roll is made with imitation crab or cooked crab, avocado and cucumber, not raw fish. Recipes vary, so ask the restaurant what's in theirs.

The NHS lists sushi made with cooked fish or cooked shellfish among the foods you can have. In Doola Scan, a shrimp tempura roll and an eel roll show Check in all six countries, and sushi with raw fish shows Avoid in all six.

California maki is the Filipino name for a California roll. Made with imitation crab, the roll shows Check in the US, UK and Canada and Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.

Real crab served cold in a roll is cold crab: Check in the US, UK and Canada and Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. The FDA lists crab among its Best Choices, 2 to 3 servings a week.

Avocado, cucumber and sushi rice show No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries. The check on a California roll comes from the crab, and nori adds a Check for iodine.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. A California roll shows the same verdict from the first weeks to the third trimester.

Yes. Take a photo of the plate, the menu or the label, and Doola Scan checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
Doola Scan

Not sure about a meal? Scan it.

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.