Can I eat pho while pregnant?
Check
Doola Scan's answer in the United States
Doola Scan's answer in the United StatesPho with rare beef (pho tái) gets Check in Doola Scan in all six countries: the thin raw slices are cooked by the hot broth, and every country's guidance names raw or undercooked meat. The FDA, NHS, Health Canada and Ireland's HSE ask you to avoid raw or undercooked meat, Australia asks for meat cooked to at least 75°C, and New Zealand says never eat rare meat. Pho with well-done brisket or chicken shows No known issues. The raw bean sprouts served on the side get Avoid in Australia and Check in the other five countries.
Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · UpdatedPho tái: thin slices of raw beef cooked in the hot broth
CheckIn all six countriesPho chín: well-done brisket or flank in beef broth
No known issuesIn all six countriesPho gà: chicken pho
No known issuesIn all six countriesPho with beef meatballs (bò viên)
CheckIn all six countriesRaw bean sprouts and herbs added at the table
Check
Avoid
What each country says
Pho while pregnant: what each country says.
Each country's own pregnancy guidance on pho, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.
United States
- Pho tái: thin slices of raw beef cooked in the hot brothCheck
- Pho chín: well-done brisket or flank in beef brothNo known issues
- Pho gà: chicken phoNo known issues
- Pho with beef meatballs (bò viên)Check
- Raw bean sprouts and herbs added at the tableCheck
- FDAAvoid eating or tasting raw or undercooked meat or poultry in pregnancy.Source
- FDAUse a thermometer, not colour: ground meat 160°F, poultry 165°F, pork 145°F with 3-minute rest.Source
- FDASprouts grow in warm, humid conditions where bacteria thrive.Source
- FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Cook sprouts thoroughly.Source
- USDA FSISAvoid sprouts that are not fully cooked.Source
Washing herbs and vegetables- FDAAvoid unwashed fresh vegetables, including lettuce and salads.Source
United Kingdom
- Pho tái: thin slices of raw beef cooked in the hot brothCheck
- Pho chín: well-done brisket or flank in beef brothNo known issues
- Pho gà: chicken phoNo known issues
- Pho with beef meatballs (bò viên)Check
- Raw bean sprouts and herbs added at the tableCheck
- NHSRaw meat can carry toxoplasma and food-poisoning bacteria.Source
- FSAPeople who are pregnant should only eat burgers that are thoroughly cooked (steaming hot, no pink, juices clear).Source
- NHSUndercooked meat can carry toxoplasma, salmonella or E. coli.Source
Washing herbs and vegetables- NHSSoil on produce can carry bacteria and toxoplasma.Source
Canada
- Pho tái: thin slices of raw beef cooked in the hot brothCheck
- Pho chín: well-done brisket or flank in beef brothNo known issues
- Pho gà: chicken phoNo known issues
- Pho with beef meatballs (bò viên)Check
- Raw bean sprouts and herbs added at the tableCheck
- CPSAvoid raw or undercooked meat or poultry.Source
- Health CanadaAvoid raw or undercooked meat, poultry and game like steak tartare.Source
- Health CanadaAvoid raw or undercooked meat and poultry; cook to safe temperatures (thermometer, colour not reliable).Source
- CPSAvoid raw sprouts.Source
- Health CanadaAvoid raw sprouts (alfalfa, clover, radish, mung bean); thoroughly cooked sprouts are the safer alternative.Source
Washing herbs and vegetables- Health CanadaRinse delicate produce under cool running water; scrub firm produce.Source
Australia
- Pho tái: thin slices of raw beef cooked in the hot brothCheck
- Pho chín: well-done brisket or flank in beef brothNo known issues
- Pho gà: chicken phoNo known issues
- Pho with beef meatballs (bò viên)Check
- Raw bean sprouts and herbs added at the tableAvoid
- 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)No pink in pork, sausages and mince incl. burgers.Source
- NSW HealthDo not eat sprouted seeds.Source
- Better Health Channel (Victoria)Avoid raw or lightly cooked sprouts.Source
- FSANZAvoid raw seed sprouts; thoroughly cooked sprouts OK. PBB: any raw or lightly cooked bean sprouts.Source
- NSW Food AuthorityDo not eat sprouts raw or lightly cooked.Source
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)No raw or lightly cooked bean sprouts.Source
Washing herbs and vegetables- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Wash fruit, vegetables and herbs to remove soil (toxoplasma).Source
New Zealand
- Pho tái: thin slices of raw beef cooked in the hot brothCheck
- Pho chín: well-done brisket or flank in beef brothNo known issues
- Pho gà: chicken phoNo known issues
- Pho with beef meatballs (bò viên)Check
- Raw bean sprouts and herbs added at the tableCheck
- Health NZAny raw meat or poultry: don't eat or taste.Source
- Health NZCook meat until piping hot and juices run clear; never rare or undercooked.Source
- Health NZSeed sprouts: don't eat unless cooked.Source
Washing herbs and vegetables- Health NZWash and dry all fresh fruit and vegetables well just before eating.Source
Ireland
- Pho tái: thin slices of raw beef cooked in the hot brothCheck
- Pho chín: well-done brisket or flank in beef brothNo known issues
- Pho gà: chicken phoNo known issues
- Pho with beef meatballs (bò viên)Check
- Raw bean sprouts and herbs added at the tableCheck
- HSEAvoid raw or under-cooked meat.Source
Washing herbs and vegetables- HSEWash all fruit, vegetables and pre-packed salads before eating.Source
What to check
Before you eat pho.
Check that no beef slice is still raw
In pho tái the slices go into the bowl raw and the broth cooks them, so some may still be pink when they reach you. The FDA, the NHS, Health Canada and Ireland's HSE all ask you to avoid raw or undercooked meat in pregnancy. Pho with well-done beef (chín) shows No known issues in Doola Scan. FDA
In Australia and New Zealand, ask for cooked beef
Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says not to eat raw or rare meat, and asks for all meat cooked to at least 75°C. Health NZ says never eat rare or undercooked meat, and to cook it until it's piping hot and the juices run clear. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby
Leave off the raw bean sprouts
Health Canada asks pregnant people to avoid raw sprouts, mung bean sprouts included, and the FDA asks for sprouts to be thoroughly cooked. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby names raw or lightly cooked bean sprouts, so sprouts dunked briefly in the broth don't meet its line. Health Canada
QuestionsAbout pho
About pho
in pregnancy.
It depends on the beef and the sprouts. Pho with well-done brisket or chicken shows No known issues in Doola Scan; pho with rare beef shows Check, because the slices need to end up cooked through; raw bean sprouts show Avoid in Australia and Check elsewhere.
Doola Scan shows Check in all six countries, because the hot broth may or may not cook the slices through. Rare beef on its own shows Avoid everywhere: the FDA and NHS ask you to avoid undercooked meat, and Health NZ says never eat rare meat. Australia and New Zealand rule out rare meat altogether, so there pho chín, with well-done beef, is the bowl that fits the guidance.
Raw bean sprouts show Avoid in Australia and Check in the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland. Health Canada asks pregnant people to avoid raw sprouts, the FDA asks for them thoroughly cooked, and Health NZ says not to eat seed sprouts unless cooked.
The NHS asks you to eat some protein-rich foods every day in pregnancy, and meat is one of them (but not liver). Cooked beef, chicken, broth and rice noodles show No known issues in Doola Scan.
Pho gà with cooked chicken, chicken broth and rice noodles shows No known issues in all six countries. The bean sprouts and herbs on the side have their own advice.
Beef meatballs show Check in all six countries, as mince. The FDA asks for ground meat cooked to 160°F, and the NHS asks for burgers and sausages cooked very thoroughly, with no pink meat.
The guidance is the same in every trimester. Each country's line on rare meat and raw sprouts applies from the first weeks of pregnancy to the last.
Yes. Take a photo of the bowl or the menu, and Doola Scan checks each item against your country's pregnancy guidance, tái, chín and bò viên included, with what to ask the kitchen. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
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 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.