Doola
Download app now

Can I eat cantaloupe while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Cantaloupe guidance differs by country: Australia and New Zealand advise pregnant women not to eat it, because of listeria, while Doola Scan shows Check in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland. In Australia, where it's called rockmelon, NSW Food Authority says not to eat it, and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says its skin can carry listeria and salmonella onto the flesh. In the US, the CDC says to choose melon that has just been cut. Canada asks you to scrub the rind with a clean brush, and the NHS says to keep pre-cut melon chilled and eat it before the use-by date.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Whole cantaloupe you cut yourself

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaIrelandAvoidAustraliaNew Zealand

  • Pre-cut cantaloupe and fruit cups from the store

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaIrelandAvoidAustraliaNew Zealand
Doola Scan checking a plate
What each country says

Cantaloupe while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on cantaloupe, 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

    Check
    • CDCFreshly cut melon is the safer choice; avoid cut melon left out over 2 hours or refrigerated over a week.Source
    • FDARinse cantaloupe and other melons thoroughly before cutting.Source
    • CDCChoose freshly cut melon; avoid cut melon left out over 2 hours or kept refrigerated over a week.Source
    • FDAKeep the fridge at 40 F or below and use ready-to-eat perishable produce as soon as possible; check use-by dates.Source
    Washing fresh fruit
    • FDAAvoid unwashed fresh vegetables, including lettuce and salads.Source

  • United Kingdom

    Check
    • NHSWhole melon fine washed; pre-packaged and pre-cut melon: keep chilled and eat before use-by.Source
    • NHSReady-to-eat cut fruit may carry listeria.Source
    Washing fresh fruit
    • NHSSoil on produce can carry bacteria and toxoplasma.Source

  • Canada

    Check
    • Health CanadaCantaloupe is fine: scrub firm fruit like cantaloupe with a clean brush under running water.Source
    • Health CanadaChoose pre-cut fruit from a refrigerated display; avoid pre-cut produce sitting on ice.Source
    Washing fresh fruit
    • Health CanadaRinse delicate produce under cool running water; scrub firm produce.Source

  • Australia

    Avoid
    • NSW Food AuthorityDo not eat rockmelon.Source
    • NSW HealthDo not eat rockmelon.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Rockmelon skin can carry listeria and salmonella onto the flesh.Source
    • FSANZAvoid pre-prepared or pre-packaged fruit salads.Source
    • NSW Food AuthorityDo not eat pre-prepared or pre-packaged salads, including fruit salad.Source
    • NSW HealthDo not eat pre-cut or pre-prepared fruit, including fruit salad.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Avoid pre-prepared or pre-packaged fruit salads, including from buffets and salad bars.Source
    Washing fresh fruit
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Wash fruit, vegetables and herbs to remove soil (toxoplasma).Source

  • New Zealand

    Avoid
    • Health NZMelons are a higher-risk listeria food that pregnant women should not eat.Source
    • Health NZPre-packaged and ready-made fruit salads: don't eat.Source
    Washing fresh fruit
    • Health NZWash and dry all fresh fruit and vegetables well just before eating.Source

  • Ireland

    Check
    Washing fresh fruit
    • HSEWash all fruit, vegetables and pre-packed salads before eating.Source
What to check

Before you eat cantaloupe.

  1. Scrub the rind before you cut it

    Health Canada asks you to scrub firm fruit like cantaloupe with a clean vegetable brush under cool running water. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby explains why: the skin can carry listeria and salmonella onto the flesh when you cut it. Health Canada

  2. Eat it freshly cut

    The CDC lists melon that has just been cut as the better choice. It says to avoid cut melon left out for more than 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F, like a picnic or a hot car), or kept in the fridge for more than a week. CDC

  3. Keep pre-cut melon chilled

    The NHS says to keep pre-packed and pre-cut fruit such as melon chilled and eat it before the use-by date. Health Canada adds to choose pre-cut fruit from a refrigerated display, not from on top of ice. NHS

  4. In Australia or New Zealand, choose other fruit

    NSW Food Authority says not to eat rockmelon in pregnancy, and Health NZ lists melons among its higher-risk listeria foods. Food Standards Australia New Zealand suggests tree fruits like mango, orange and apple, or tinned fruit, instead. FSANZ

Questions

About cantaloupe
in pregnancy.

The NHS asks for at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day in pregnancy, and doesn't single out cantaloupe. Where the guidance allows it with checks (the US, UK and Canada), it counts like any fruit. Australia and New Zealand advise against it, and FSANZ suggests tree fruits like mango, orange or apple instead.

Because of listeria. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says rockmelon skin can carry listeria and salmonella onto the flesh, and Health NZ lists melons among the higher-risk listeria foods. NSW Food Authority says not to eat rockmelon in pregnancy.

Yes. Australia and New Zealand call cantaloupe rockmelon, and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby writes it as rockmelon (cantaloupe). Doola Scan reads both names the same way.

The guidance differs. The CDC says to avoid cut melon kept in the fridge more than a week, the NHS says keep it chilled and eat it before the use-by date, and Health Canada says to choose it from a refrigerated display. FSANZ, NSW Food Authority and Health NZ advise against pre-prepared or pre-packaged fruit salads.

The guidance doesn't change by trimester. Each country's advice on cantaloupe applies from the first weeks to the third trimester.

Health NZ's listeria leaflet lists melons in general among higher-risk foods. The CDC's cut-melon advice covers all melons, and the NHS uses melon as its example of pre-cut fruit to keep chilled. For watermelon, see its own page.

Most of the guidance is about how cantaloupe is washed, cut and stored. If you feel unwell or are worried, call your midwife or doctor; in the UK, the NHS says to call 111 if you have symptoms of listeriosis.

In Australia and New Zealand, the advice is simply not to eat rockmelon in pregnancy. Washing the rind before cutting is the advice in the US, UK and Canada, where Doola Scan shows Check.

Yes. Take a photo of the plate, the menu or the label, and Doola Scan checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance, so you see your own country's rule for cantaloupe. 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.

Download app now
More foods
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.