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Can I eat potato salad while pregnant?

Avoid Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Store-bought or deli potato salad gets Avoid in Doola Scan in the US, Canada, Australia and Ireland, because of listeria, and Check in the UK and New Zealand. The CDC names premade potato salad among the deli salads to avoid in pregnancy, and NSW Food Authority says not to eat pre-prepared salads. The NHS asks you to keep pre-packaged salads chilled and eat them before the use-by date. Doola has no Canadian or Irish source on deli salads yet, so its answer there follows the other countries'. Potato salad made fresh at home, with jar mayonnaise and hard-boiled eggs, shows No known issues, and the leftovers rules apply once it's stored.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Store-bought or deli potato salad, or from a restaurant

    AvoidUnited StatesAustraliaCheckUnited KingdomCanadaNew ZealandIreland

  • Potato salad made at home with jar mayonnaise and hard-boiled egg

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

Potato salad while pregnant: what each country says.

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

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

  • United States

    • Store-bought or deli potato salad, or from a restaurantAvoid
    • Potato salad made at home with jar mayonnaise and hard-boiled eggNo known issues
    • FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Don't buy or eat premade ham, chicken or seafood salad from delis.Source
    • FDADeli salads made on site may carry listeria.Source
    Homemade potato salad kept in the fridge
    • FDAReheating kills bacteria that grow during storage.Source
    • FDARefrigerate within 2 hours, keep cooked meat or poultry leftovers 3 to 4 days, reheat leftovers to 165°F.Source
    Potato salad with homemade mayonnaise
    • 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

  • United Kingdom

    • Store-bought or deli potato salad, or from a restaurantCheck
    • Potato salad made at home with jar mayonnaise and hard-boiled eggNo known issues
    • NHSPre-packaged sandwiches and salads: keep chilled and eat before the use-by date.Source
    Homemade potato salad kept in the fridge
    • FSAFridge within 2 hours, eat within 48 hours, reheat only once until steaming hot throughout.Source
    • FSABacteria grow if food is warmed rather than heated through.Source
    Potato salad with homemade mayonnaise
    • 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

  • Canada

    • Store-bought or deli potato salad, or from a restaurantCheck
    • Potato salad made at home with jar mayonnaise and hard-boiled eggNo known issues
    Homemade potato salad kept in the fridge
    • Health CanadaRefrigerate within 2 hours, eat within 2 to 3 days, reheat to 74°C.Source
    • Health CanadaEat refrigerated leftovers within 2 to 3 days; reheat to 74°C.Source
    Potato salad with homemade mayonnaise
    • 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

  • Australia

    • Store-bought or deli potato salad, or from a restaurantAvoid
    • Potato salad made at home with jar mayonnaise and hard-boiled eggNo known issues
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Avoid pre-prepared salads that will not be reheated.Source
    • NSW Food AuthorityDo not eat pre-prepared or pre-packaged salads.Source
    • NSW HealthDo not eat pre-packed cold salads, including from buffets and salad bars.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Avoid pre-prepared or pre-packaged salads, including from buffets and salad bars.Source
    Homemade potato salad kept in the fridge
    • NSW Food AuthorityLeftovers in the fridge, eaten within a day and reheated to at least 60°C.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Leftovers: fridge, reheat thoroughly, not more than one day old.Source
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Avoid leftover meats refrigerated more than a day unless reheated.Source
    • FSANZVulnerable people: eat refrigerated leftovers within 1 day; reheat to 75 °C steaming hot.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Store leftovers in the fridge and use them within a day of cooking.Source
    Potato salad with homemade mayonnaise
    • 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

  • New Zealand

    • Store-bought or deli potato salad, or from a restaurantCheck
    • Potato salad made at home with jar mayonnaise and hard-boiled eggNo known issues
    • Health NZPre-packaged and deli/salad-bar salads and coleslaws: don't eat; home-made salads OK if washed.Source
    Homemade potato salad kept in the fridge
    • Health NZLeftovers: fridge, eat within two days, reheat until piping hot (over 70°C); never eat cold.Source
    • Health NZStore leftover cooked or canned food in fridge and use within 2 days (Health NZ listeriosis page: 24 hours).Source
    Potato salad with homemade mayonnaise
    • 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

  • Ireland

    • Store-bought or deli potato salad, or from a restaurantCheck
    • Potato salad made at home with jar mayonnaise and hard-boiled eggNo known issues
    Potato salad with homemade mayonnaise
    • HSEAvoid foods made with raw or under-cooked eggs, e.g. homemade mayonnaise; cook eggs thoroughly.Source
    • HSEAvoid foods made with raw or under-cooked eggs, such as homemade mayonnaise.Source
What to check

Before you eat potato salad.

  1. Skip store-bought potato salad in the US and Australia

    The CDC lists premade deli salads, potato salad among them, as foods to avoid, and calls homemade the better choice. In Australia, NSW Food Authority and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby say not to eat pre-prepared or pre-packaged salads, including from buffets and salad bars. CDC

  2. In the UK, keep it chilled and within its use-by date

    The NHS says the listeria risk from pre-packaged salads is low, and asks you to keep them chilled and eat them before the use-by date. A tub left out on the table, or past its date, doesn't meet that. NHS

  3. Use jar mayonnaise, not homemade

    Homemade mayonnaise is made with raw egg. Ireland's HSE asks you to avoid foods made with raw or under-cooked eggs, such as homemade mayonnaise. Jar mayonnaise and hard-boiled eggs show No known issues in all six countries. HSE

  4. Chill homemade potato salad and eat it within your country's time

    The FDA asks for food to go in the fridge within 2 hours. FSANZ asks pregnant women to eat refrigerated leftovers within 1 day, the FSA says within 48 hours, Health Canada 2 to 3 days and the FDA 3 to 4 days. FDA

Questions

About potato salad
in pregnancy.

Doola Scan shows Avoid for store-bought or deli potato salad in the US, Canada, Australia and Ireland, and Check in the UK and New Zealand. The CDC names premade potato salad among the deli salads to avoid; in the UK the NHS asks for pre-packaged salads to be kept chilled and eaten before the use-by date.

The CDC lists homemade deli salads as the choice to make instead of premade ones. Boiled potatoes, jar mayonnaise and hard-boiled eggs show No known issues; put it in the fridge within 2 hours and eat it within your country's leftovers time.

Doola Scan shows Check in the UK. The NHS says some ready-to-eat foods like pre-packaged salads may contain listeria, though the risk is low, and asks you to keep them chilled and eat them before the use-by date.

The FDA asks for food to be refrigerated within 2 hours, so a bowl that has sat out longer doesn't meet that. Health NZ and NSW Health name salads from buffets among the foods to avoid.

Hard-boiled eggs and jar mayonnaise show No known issues in all six countries. Homemade mayonnaise is made with raw egg: Australia, New Zealand and Ireland advise against it, and the US, UK and Canada show Check.

The guidance is about avoiding ready-made potato salad from here on; it doesn't ask you to do anything about potato salad already eaten. If you feel unwell or are worried, call your midwife or doctor; in the UK, the NHS says to call 111 if you have symptoms of listeriosis.

The guidance doesn't change by trimester. Each country's advice on deli salads and leftovers applies all through pregnancy.

Yes. Take a photo of the tub's label, the plate or the menu, and Doola Scan checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance, including bacon or herbs mixed in. 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.