Can I eat mousse while pregnant?
Check
Doola Scan's answer in the United States
Doola Scan's answer in the United StatesChocolate mousse is usually made with raw egg, so Doola Scan shows Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, and Check in the US, UK and Canada. Those three accept it made with pasteurised egg or, in the UK, British Lion eggs. Shop-bought chocolate mousse made with pasteurised egg shows Check in all six countries, for the egg and for the caffeine in chocolate. Mousse set with whipped cream and no raw egg shows No known issues. Health NZ and NSW Food Authority both name mousse among the raw-egg foods not to eat.
Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · UpdatedHomemade or restaurant chocolate mousse with raw egg
Check
Avoid
Shop-bought chocolate mousse made with pasteurised egg
CheckIn all six countriesMousse made with whipped cream and no raw egg
No known issuesIn all six countries
What each country says
Mousse while pregnant: what each country says.
Each country's own pregnancy guidance on mousse, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.
United States
- Homemade or restaurant chocolate mousse with raw eggCheck
- Shop-bought chocolate mousse made with pasteurised eggCheck
- Mousse made with whipped cream and no raw eggNo known issues
- FDAAvoid raw or undercooked eggs and foods containing them; foods made with pasteurized eggs are fine.Source
- FDARaw eggs can carry salmonella.Source
- FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Foods with raw or lightly cooked eggs only with pasteurised eggs.Source
- ACOGModerate caffeine (less than 200 mg a day) does not cause miscarriage or preterm birth.Source
- FDANo set pregnancy limit; talk to your health care provider about whether to limit caffeine.Source
- MyHealthfinder (HHS)Limit caffeine; ask your doctor if caffeine is safe for you, or try decaf.Source
- ACOGModerate intake is not a major factor in miscarriage or preterm birth.Source
United Kingdom
- Homemade or restaurant chocolate mousse with raw eggCheck
- Shop-bought chocolate mousse made with pasteurised eggCheck
- Mousse made with whipped cream and no raw eggNo known issues
- NHSRaw eggs that are not Lion-stamped may carry salmonella.Source
- NHSRaw-egg foods like mayonnaise and mousse fine if made with British Lion or Laid in Britain hen eggs.Source
- NHSHigh caffeine intake is linked to miscarriage and stillbirth.Source
- NHSNo more than 200 mg caffeine a day in pregnancy.Source
Canada
- Homemade or restaurant chocolate mousse with raw eggCheck
- Shop-bought chocolate mousse made with pasteurised eggCheck
- Mousse made with whipped cream and no raw eggNo known issues
- CPSAvoid raw egg and egg dishes with runny yolk.Source
- Health CanadaAvoid raw-egg foods (homemade mayonnaise, batter, ice cream) unless made with pasteurized liquid eggs.Source
- CPSAvoid raw egg and egg dishes with runny yolk, such as eggnog.Source
- Health CanadaAvoid foods with raw egg: some dressings, sauces, cookie dough, cake batter, homemade eggnog (unless heated to 71 °C).Source
- CPSLimit caffeine in pregnancy; consider cutting it out.Source
- Health CanadaMaximum 300 mg caffeine a day when pregnant (about two 8-oz cups of coffee).Source
- Health CanadaMaximum 300 mg caffeine a day when pregnant.Source
Australia
- Homemade or restaurant chocolate mousse with raw eggAvoid
- Shop-bought chocolate mousse made with pasteurised eggCheck
- Mousse made with whipped cream and no raw eggNo known issues
- NSW Food AuthorityDo not eat raw egg in food (home-made mayonnaise, aioli, mousse, batter).Source
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)No homemade mayonnaise, aioli, mousse or raw cake batter; commercial mayo/custard OK.Source
- FSANZSafer alternatives to raw egg dishes: pasteurised eggs, commercial custard and dressings.Source
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Commercially made products with egg (e.g. shop mayonnaise) are fine; not homemade mayonnaise, aioli, mousse or raw cake batter.Source
- Better Health Channel (Victoria)Limit caffeine to 200 mg a day or less, or avoid it.Source
- FSANZNo more than 200 mg caffeine a day from all sources.Source
- healthdirectLimit caffeine to 200 mg a day when pregnant.Source
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Maximum 200 mg caffeine per day (total) in pregnancy.Source
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Maximum 200 mg/day.Source
New Zealand
- Homemade or restaurant chocolate mousse with raw eggAvoid
- Shop-bought chocolate mousse made with pasteurised eggCheck
- Mousse made with whipped cream and no raw eggNo known issues
- MPI (NZ Food Safety)Avoid raw eggs (smoothies, mayonnaise, mousse).Source
- Health NZRaw eggs in eggnog, smoothies, home-made mayonnaise, mousse, tiramisu etc: don't eat; no pasteurised-egg exception.Source
- Health NZNo more than 4 cups tea or instant coffee (or 3 plunger coffees) a day.Source
- Health NZUp to 200 mg caffeine a day in pregnancy.Source
Ireland
- Homemade or restaurant chocolate mousse with raw eggAvoid
- Shop-bought chocolate mousse made with pasteurised eggCheck
- Mousse made with whipped cream and no raw eggNo known issues
What to check
Before you eat mousse.
Read the label or ask about pasteurised egg
The FDA's advice for raw-egg foods is to use pasteurised eggs at home and, when eating out, to ask if pasteurised eggs were used. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says commercially made products with egg are fine, but not homemade mousse. FDA
In the UK, use British Lion or Laid in Britain eggs
The NHS says foods like mousse made with raw eggs can be eaten in pregnancy if the eggs are British Lion or Laid in Britain hen eggs. Other hen eggs should not be eaten raw or partially cooked. NHS
In Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, skip raw-egg mousse
Health NZ lists mousse among raw-egg foods not to eat, with no pasteurised-egg exception. NSW Food Authority says not to eat raw egg in food such as mousse, and the HSE asks you to avoid foods made with raw or under-cooked eggs. Health NZ
Count the chocolate in your caffeine
The NHS sets 200mg of caffeine a day in pregnancy and puts a 50g bar of plain dark chocolate at under 25mg. Health Canada's limit is 300mg a day. NHS
QuestionsAbout mousse
About mousse
in pregnancy.
It depends on the egg. With raw egg, Doola Scan shows Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland and Check in the US, UK and Canada. Made with pasteurised egg, it shows Check in all six countries.
Look for pasteurised egg on the label. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says commercially made products with egg are fine if stored correctly, and the FDA accepts raw-egg foods made with pasteurised eggs. Health NZ makes no pasteurised-egg exception for mousse.
Ask whether it is made with raw egg and, if so, whether the eggs were pasteurised, as the FDA suggests. In the UK, the FSA notes that eggs used when eating out may not be British Lion.
Raw eggs can carry salmonella, the FDA says. The US and Canada accept raw-egg mousse only with pasteurised egg, the UK with British Lion or Laid in Britain eggs, and Australia, New Zealand and Ireland advise against it.
Mousse set with whipped cream and no raw egg shows No known issues in all six countries. If a mousse cake or fruit mousse contains raw egg or raw egg white, the raw-egg advice applies, so read the label or ask.
The guidance is about what to choose next time: mousse made with pasteurised egg or, in the UK, British Lion eggs. If you feel unwell or are unsure, talk to your midwife or doctor.
The guidance is the same in every trimester. The raw egg and caffeine advice applies from the first weeks of pregnancy to the last.
Yes. Take a photo of the label or the menu, and Doola Scan checks each ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance, including raw egg and caffeine. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
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Download app nowDoola 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.