Doola
Download app now

Can I eat clams while pregnant?

Avoid Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Cooked clams, including clam chowder and pasta with clams, show Check in Doola Scan in all six countries; raw clams show Avoid in all six. The check for cooked clams is how much fish and seafood you eat in a week. The FDA lists clams among its Best Choices, 2 to 3 servings a week, and Australia's limit for most seafood is 2 to 3 times a week, while Canada and New Zealand set no weekly amount for low-mercury seafood. The FDA, NHS, Health Canada and Ireland's HSE all ask you to avoid raw shellfish.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Clam chowder, New England or canned

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Pasta with clams (linguine or spaghetti alle vongole)

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Steamed clams, cooked until the shells open

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Fried clams

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Raw clams on the half shell

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

Clams while pregnant: what each country says.

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

  • United States

    • Clam chowder, New England or cannedCheck
    • Pasta with clams (linguine or spaghetti alle vongole)Check
    • Steamed clams, cooked until the shells openCheck
    • Fried clamsCheck
    • Raw clams on the half shellAvoid
    • FDAFish is recommended but amounts limit mercury exposure.Source
    • FDAPeople at higher risk, including pregnant women, should avoid raw shellfish and their juices.Source
    • FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Avoid raw oysters, clams and scallops.Source

  • United Kingdom

    • Clam chowder, New England or cannedCheck
    • Pasta with clams (linguine or spaghetti alle vongole)Check
    • Steamed clams, cooked until the shells openCheck
    • Fried clamsCheck
    • Raw clams on the half shellAvoid
    • NHSTrying for a baby or pregnant: max 2 oily fish portions (140g) a week; tuna max 4 cans or 2 steaks a week.Source
    • NHSRaw shellfish can carry bacteria, viruses or toxins.Source

  • Canada

    • Clam chowder, New England or cannedCheck
    • Pasta with clams (linguine or spaghetti alle vongole)Check
    • Steamed clams, cooked until the shells openCheck
    • Fried clamsCheck
    • Raw clams on the half shellAvoid
    • Health CanadaLow-mercury fish encouraged with no weekly amount; limit only fresh/frozen tuna, shark, swordfish, marlin, orange roughy, escolar.Source
    • CPSAvoid raw shellfish such as oysters and clams.Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid raw oysters, clams and mussels; eat only when cooked until shells open.Source

  • Australia

    • Clam chowder, New England or cannedCheck
    • Pasta with clams (linguine or spaghetti alle vongole)Check
    • Steamed clams, cooked until the shells openCheck
    • Fried clamsCheck
    • Raw clams on the half shellAvoid
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Other fish or seafood no more than 2 to 3 times a week (150 g serve).Source
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Avoid raw oysters and other raw seafood.Source
    • FSANZAvoid raw oysters and other chilled raw seafood.Source
    • NSW Food AuthorityDo not eat raw seafood.Source
    • NSW HealthDo not eat raw seafood.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)No raw oysters or other raw seafood.Source

  • New Zealand

    • Clam chowder, New England or cannedCheck
    • Pasta with clams (linguine or spaghetti alle vongole)Check
    • Steamed clams, cooked until the shells openCheck
    • Fried clamsCheck
    • Raw clams on the half shellAvoid
    • Health NZMost commonly eaten NZ fish can be eaten freely; low-mercury species need no restriction.Source
    • Health NZAny raw shellfish, including marinated raw mussels: don't eat.Source

  • Ireland

    • Clam chowder, New England or cannedCheck
    • Pasta with clams (linguine or spaghetti alle vongole)Check
    • Steamed clams, cooked until the shells openCheck
    • Fried clamsCheck
    • Raw clams on the half shellAvoid
    • HSEAvoid clams, oysters, scallops, prawns and mussels.Source
What to check

Before you eat clams.

  1. Cook clams until the shells open

    Clams in the shell should open as they cook. Throw away any that stay closed. The FDA and Health Canada both give this step for clams, mussels and oysters. FDA

  2. Reach your country's temperature

    Health Canada's chart gives 74°C (165°F) for shellfish, including clams. Australia's Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks for fish and seafood cooked to at least 63°C and eaten straight away. Health Canada

  3. Skip raw clams and their juices

    The FDA asks pregnant women to avoid raw shellfish and their juices, and FoodSafety.gov names raw oysters, clams and scallops. A raw bar platter or a clam shooter counts as raw. FDA

  4. Count clams in your weekly fish

    The FDA asks pregnant women to eat 2 to 3 servings a week from its Best Choices list, which includes clams. A serving is 4 ounces, about the size of your palm. FDA

  5. Buy live clams that close when tapped

    Look for the tag on sacks or containers of live clams, which carries the processor's certification number. Live clams close when you tap the shell, so leave behind any that stay open, and keep them at 40°F or below. FDA

Questions

About clams
in pregnancy.

Clam chowder shows Check in Doola Scan in all six countries. The clams are cooked in the soup, so the check is the weekly amount of fish and seafood: in the US, the FDA's 2 to 3 servings a week of Best Choices, which include clams.

The answer is the same: canned clam chowder and New England clam chowder both show Check in all six countries, like homemade chowder. Count it towards your fish for the week.

Raw clams show Avoid in Doola Scan in all six countries. The FDA asks you to avoid raw shellfish and their juices, the NHS lists raw shellfish as a food to avoid, and Health Canada asks for clams to be eaten only when cooked until the shells open.

Pasta with clams shows Check in all six countries, the same as other cooked clams. The clams should open as they cook in the pan; leave any that stay closed.

Fried clams show Check in all six countries. Frying cooks them, so the check is again how much fish and seafood you've had that week.

In the US, the FDA's Best Choices, clams included, are 2 to 3 servings a week of 4 ounces each. Australia's Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says most fish and seafood no more than 2 to 3 times a week. Health Canada and Health NZ set no weekly amount for low-mercury seafood.

Ireland's HSE lists clams, oysters, scallops, prawns and mussels together, and says the risk is highest if they're pre-cooked. It asks for all seafood to be cooked thoroughly. Doola Scan shows Check for cooked clams in Ireland.

The FDA lists clams among its Best Choices for pregnancy and says fish supply protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D and selenium, and nutrients that support a baby's brain development. The NHS lists cooked shellfish, clams included, among the foods you can have in pregnancy.

Yes. Take a photo of the bowl, the menu or the can, 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.

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.