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Can I eat pork while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Pork cooked all the way through, chops, roasts, belly or sausages, shows No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries. Pork that's still pink inside shows Check, because the countries draw the line in different places: the FDA asks for 145°F with a 3-minute rest, Health Canada gives 71°C, and Australia asks for at least 75°C. The NHS asks for pork cooked with no pink or blood, and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says no pink in pork.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Pork cooked through: chops, roast, belly or tenderloin

    No known issuesIn all six countries

  • Minced pork and pork sausages, cooked through

    No known issuesIn all six countries

  • Pork that is still pink inside

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

Pork while pregnant: what each country says.

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

  • Doola has no source from Ireland on this yet; its answer comes from the other countries' guidance.

  • United States

    • Pork cooked through: chops, roast, belly or tenderloinNo known issues
    • Minced pork and pork sausages, cooked throughNo known issues
    • Pork that is still pink insideCheck
    • FDAUse a thermometer, not colour: ground meat 160°F, poultry 165°F, pork 145°F with 3-minute rest.Source
    • 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
    Pork liver
    • ACOGACOG recommends liver among iron-rich foods in pregnancy; no advice to avoid liver.Source
    • MotherToBabyPreformed vitamin A from animal foods such as liver: stay under the 3,000 mcg/day upper limit; very high intakes linked to birth defects.Source

  • United Kingdom

    • Pork cooked through: chops, roast, belly or tenderloinNo known issues
    • Minced pork and pork sausages, cooked throughNo known issues
    • Pork that is still pink insideCheck
    • 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
    • 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
    Pork liver
    • NHSLiver is very high in vitamin A, which can harm a baby's development.Source

  • Canada

    • Pork cooked through: chops, roast, belly or tenderloinNo known issues
    • Minced pork and pork sausages, cooked throughNo known issues
    • Pork that is still pink insideCheck
    • CPSAvoid raw or undercooked meat or poultry.Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid raw or undercooked meat and poultry; cook to safe temperatures (thermometer, colour not reliable).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
    Pork liver
    • Health CanadaLimit (not avoid) liver and cod liver oil; stay under 3000 mcg RAE vitamin A a day.Source

  • Australia

    • Pork cooked through: chops, roast, belly or tenderloinNo known issues
    • Minced pork and pork sausages, cooked throughNo known issues
    • Pork that is still pink insideCheck
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)No pink in pork, sausages and mince incl. burgers.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Cook all meat and poultry to at least 75°C and eat hot.Source
    Pork liver
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Liver is not recommended for women who are or could be pregnant (vitamin A).Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Avoid liver or liver products: high vitamin A can harm the baby.Source

  • New Zealand

    • Pork cooked through: chops, roast, belly or tenderloinNo known issues
    • Minced pork and pork sausages, cooked throughNo known issues
    • Pork that is still pink insideCheck
    • Health NZCook meat until piping hot and juices run clear; never rare or undercooked.Source
    • Health NZCook meat until piping hot throughout and juices run clear; never rare; no temperature per cut.Source
    Pork liver
    • Health NZLiver only in small amounts, no more than 100 g a week (vitamin A).Source

  • Ireland

    • Pork cooked through: chops, roast, belly or tenderloinNo known issues
    • Minced pork and pork sausages, cooked throughNo known issues
    • Pork that is still pink insideCheck
    Pork liver
    • HSEAvoid liver, including liver sausage, haggis and pâté containing liver.Source
What to check

Before you eat pork.

  1. Check the middle with a thermometer, not the colour

    The FDA says colour isn't a reliable sign that meat is cooked. Its numbers are 145°F for pork with a 3-minute rest, and 160°F for ground meat. Health Canada's chart gives 71°C (160°F) for pork and for ground meat. FDA

  2. In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, cook out the pink

    The NHS asks for pork cooked thoroughly with no pink or blood. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says no pink in pork, sausages and mince, and all meat cooked to at least 75°C. Health NZ asks for meat cooked until it's piping hot and the juices run clear. NHS

  3. Cook minced pork and sausages all the way through

    The UK Food Standards Agency says meat that has been minced should be cooked thoroughly, because bacteria can be all the way through it. Ireland's HSE lists raw or under-cooked meat as a food to avoid. FSA

  4. Leave out pork liver in the UK, Australia and Ireland

    The NHS, Pregnancy, Birth and Baby and the HSE list liver as a food to avoid in pregnancy, because it is very high in vitamin A. Health Canada asks you to limit liver, and Health NZ sets no more than 100 g a week. NHS

Questions

About pork
in pregnancy.

Pork chops cooked through show No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries. A chop that's still pink in the middle shows Check: the FDA's number is 145°F with a 3-minute rest, and Australia's at least 75°C.

None of these countries' pregnancy food lists names carnitas or pulled pork, so Doola Scan reads them as pork. Pork cooked all the way through shows No known issues in all six countries. Health NZ asks for leftovers to be reheated until piping hot, over 70°C.

None of these countries' pregnancy food lists names sisig, so Doola Scan reads its ingredients. Pork cooked through shows No known issues. If it's made with chicken liver, liver shows Avoid in the UK, Australia and Ireland and Check in the US, Canada and New Zealand. If a raw egg is mixed in on the sizzling plate, raw egg shows Avoid in Canada and Check in the other five.

Pork cooked all the way through, in a curry or roasted, shows No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries. Pork that's still pink inside shows Check, because every country asks for it cooked to its own temperature.

Pork cooked all the way through, chancho, puerco or cerdo, shows No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries. Chicharrón shows No known issues too. Pork that's still pink inside shows Check.

The NHS asks you to eat some protein-rich foods every day, and meat is one of them, but not liver. It suggests choosing lean meat and not adding extra fat or oil when you cook it.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. Pork cooked through shows No known issues from the first weeks to the third trimester, and each country's cooking rule applies all through pregnancy.

Yes. Take a photo of the plate or the menu, and Doola Scan checks every ingredient 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.