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Can I eat medium well steak while pregnant?

No known issues Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Medium-well steak, with just a little pink in the middle, shows No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries, as does well-done steak. Doola Scan shows Check for medium steak and Avoid for medium-rare. The FDA's figure for beef steaks is 145°F inside with a 3-minute rest, and Health Canada's chart gives 71°C for medium and 77°C for well done. Australia asks for all meat cooked to at least 75°C, and New Zealand says never eat rare meat, so a thermometer settles it.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Steak cooked medium well, a little pink

    No known issuesIn all six countries

  • Steak cooked well done, no pink

    No known issuesIn all six countries
Doola Scan checking a plate
What each country says

Medium-well steak while pregnant: what each country says.

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

  • No known issues

    None of the six countries' pregnancy guidance names medium-well steak.

  • United States

    No known issues
    Medium steak, pink in the middle
    • FDACook beef and lamb steaks, roasts and chops to 145°F internal with a 3-minute rest; rare or seared-outside only is not enough.Source
    Medium-rare steak
    • FDAUndercooked meat can carry toxoplasma and other harmful germs.Source
    • FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Cook meat and poultry to the USDA safe minimum internal temperature.Source
    • FDAAvoid eating or tasting raw or undercooked meat or poultry in pregnancy.Source
    • FDACook beef and lamb steaks, roasts and chops to 145°F internal with a 3-minute rest; rare or seared-outside only is not enough.Source

  • United Kingdom

    No known issues
    Medium steak, pink in the middle
    • NHSBacteria on whole cuts sit on the surface; inside may be pink.Source
    Medium-rare steak
    • FSAMiddle of food should reach 70°C for 2 minutes (or 75°C for 30 seconds); steaks and joints may be pink inside.Source
    • NHSPoultry, pork and mince cooked with no pink or blood; whole beef/lamb cuts fine if thoroughly cooked on the outside.Source
    • NHSRaw meat can carry toxoplasma and food-poisoning bacteria.Source
    • NHSBacteria on whole cuts sit on the surface; inside may be pink.Source

  • Canada

    No known issues
    Medium steak, pink in the middle
    • Health CanadaWhole cuts of beef, veal, lamb: medium-rare 63°C internal (thermometer).Source
    Medium-rare steak
    • CPSAvoid raw or undercooked meat or poultry.Source
    • Health CanadaBeef/lamb whole cuts 63 °C (medium-rare) OK; pork and ground meat 71 °C; poultry pieces 74 °C, whole 82 °C.Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid raw or undercooked meat, poultry and game like steak tartare.Source
    • Health CanadaWhole cuts of beef, veal, lamb: medium-rare 63°C internal (thermometer).Source

  • Australia

    No known issues
    Medium steak, pink in the middle
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Do not eat raw or rare meat.Source
    Medium-rare steak
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Cook all meat and poultry to at least 75°C and eat hot.Source
    • NSW Food AuthorityDo not eat any raw meat or poultry.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Do not eat raw or rare meat; cook all meat and poultry to at least 75 °C.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Do not eat raw or rare meat.Source

  • New Zealand

    No known issues
    Medium steak, pink in the middle
    • Health NZNever eat rare or undercooked meat; cook until piping hot and juices run clear.Source
    Medium-rare steak
    • Health NZCook meat until piping hot throughout and juices run clear; never rare; no temperature per cut.Source
    • Health NZAny raw meat or poultry: don't eat or taste.Source
    • Health NZNever eat rare or undercooked meat; cook until piping hot and juices run clear.Source

  • Ireland

    No known issues
    Medium steak, pink in the middle
    • HSEAvoid raw or under-cooked meat; cook all meat thoroughly. No whole-cut exception.Source
    Medium-rare steak
    • HSEAvoid raw or under-cooked meat.Source
    • HSEAvoid raw or under-cooked meat; cook all meat thoroughly. No whole-cut exception.Source
What to check

Before you eat medium-well steak.

  1. Use a meat thermometer in the thickest part

    Push it into the middle of the steak, away from any bone. Health Canada's chart for whole cuts of beef, veal and lamb reads 63°C (145°F) for medium-rare, 71°C (160°F) for medium and 77°C (170°F) for well done. Health Canada

  2. In the US, 145°F and a 3-minute rest

    The FDA's number for beef steaks, roasts and chops is 145°F inside, then a 3-minute rest before you cut it. FDA

  3. In Australia and New Zealand, aim for 75°C or clear juices

    Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks for all meat cooked to at least 75°C and eaten hot. Health NZ asks for meat cooked until it is piping hot and the juices run clear, and says never eat rare or undercooked meat. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

Questions

About medium-well steak
in pregnancy.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. Medium well steak shows No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries from the first weeks to the third trimester.

It depends on the country. The NHS lists whole cuts of beef, such as steaks, among the foods to eat when they're thoroughly cooked on the outside, and the FDA's number is 145°F. Australia asks for at least 75°C for all meat, and New Zealand for juices that run clear.

Well-done steak shows No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries. Health Canada's chart puts well done at 77°C (170°F), above every country's number.

Medium steak shows Check in all six countries, because whether it meets the guidance depends on the temperature in the middle. Health Canada's chart puts medium at 71°C, above the FDA's 145°F and below Australia's 75°C.

Doola Scan shows Avoid for medium-rare steak in all six countries, reading it as rare or undercooked meat. The FDA asks pregnant people to avoid raw or undercooked meat, and Ireland's HSE lists raw or under-cooked meat as a food to avoid.

You can ask for it, and you can ask for it cooked to your country's number: 145°F with a rest in the US, at least 75°C in Australia. If you're unsure how pink it is, well done shows No known issues in all six countries.

Burgers have their own rule. The FDA asks for ground meat cooked to 160°F, and the NHS asks for burgers cooked very thoroughly, with no pink meat and no pink or red in the juices. The steak rules are for whole cuts.

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