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Can I eat imitation crab while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Imitation crab, also sold as surimi or crab sticks, shows Check in Doola Scan in the US, UK and Canada and Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland when eaten cold. Doola Scan reads it as cooked, chilled seafood, and those three countries name pre-cooked prawns and shellfish as foods to avoid. Heated until steaming hot in a dish, imitation crab shows Check in all six. The FDA says previously cooked seafood is lower risk when reheated to 165°F.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Cold imitation crab, surimi or crab sticks, straight from the pack

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaAvoidAustraliaNew ZealandIreland

  • Imitation crab heated until steaming hot in a dish

    CheckIn all six countries

  • California roll

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

Imitation crab while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on imitation crab, 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

  • United Kingdom

    Check
    • NHSChilled ready-to-eat seafood can carry listeria.Source

  • Australia

    • Cold imitation crab, surimi or crab sticks, straight from the packAvoid
    • Imitation crab heated until steaming hot in a dishCheck
    • California rollAvoid
    • 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

  • New Zealand

    • Cold imitation crab, surimi or crab sticks, straight from the packAvoid
    • Imitation crab heated until steaming hot in a dishCheck
    • California rollAvoid
    • Health NZAvoid cooked ready-to-eat prawns.Source

  • Ireland

    • Cold imitation crab, surimi or crab sticks, straight from the packAvoid
    • Imitation crab heated until steaming hot in a dishCheck
    • California rollAvoid
    • HSEAvoid clams, oysters, scallops, prawns, mussels - risk highest if pre-cooked.Source
What to check

Before you eat imitation crab.

  1. Heat it until steaming hot

    The FDA says previously cooked seafood is lower risk when reheated to 165°F. FSANZ asks for chilled cooked seafood to be eaten freshly cooked or reheated until steaming hot, and the NHS says chilled ready-to-eat seafood can carry listeria. FDA

  2. In Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, skip it cold

    Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says not to eat pre-cooked prawns, Health NZ advises against cooked ready-to-eat prawns, and Ireland's HSE says the risk from shellfish is highest if it is pre-cooked. Doola Scan applies this to cold imitation crab and shows Avoid in these three. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

  3. Skip crab salad from the deli counter

    FoodSafety.gov says not to buy or eat premade seafood salad from delis in pregnancy. Seafood salad shows Avoid in the US, Canada, Australia and Ireland and Check in the UK and New Zealand. FoodSafety.gov

Questions

About imitation crab
in pregnancy.

Surimi and crab sticks are imitation crab, and Doola Scan reads them the same way: Check in the US, UK and Canada, Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland when eaten cold. Heated until steaming hot, they show Check in all six.

Doola Scan reads imitation crab as cooked, chilled seafood, so the guidance on cold pre-cooked seafood applies. The NHS asks for chilled ready-to-eat seafood to be cooked until steaming hot.

A California roll shows Check in the US, UK and Canada and Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, for its cold imitation crab. NSW Food Authority also says not to eat store-bought sushi in pregnancy.

A seafood salad bought ready-made shows Avoid in the US, Canada, Australia and Ireland and Check in the UK and New Zealand. FoodSafety.gov names premade seafood salad from delis as one to skip.

Doola Scan reads imitation crab under the guidance on chilled pre-cooked seafood, not under any country's mercury fish list. None of these countries' pregnancy food lists sets a mercury limit for imitation crab.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. Cold imitation crab has the same verdict from the first weeks to the last, and heating it until steaming hot shows Check throughout.

Yes. Take a photo of the label or the dish, and Doola Scan checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance. 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.