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Can I eat prime rib while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Prime rib cooked through shows No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries, and prime rib served medium rare, pink in the middle, shows Check. Prime rib is a whole roast of beef, so each country's rule for whole cuts applies, and they draw the line in different places. The FDA asks for 145°F inside with a 3-minute rest, and Health Canada's chart gives 63°C for medium-rare. The NHS asks for whole cuts thoroughly cooked on the outside, Australia asks for all meat cooked to at least 75°C, and New Zealand says never eat rare meat.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Prime rib served medium rare, pink in the middle

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Prime rib cooked medium well or well done

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

Prime rib while pregnant: what each country says.

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

  • United States

    • Prime rib served medium rare, pink in the middleCheck
    • Prime rib cooked medium well or well doneNo known issues
    • 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
    • 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
    Leftover prime rib
    • 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

  • United Kingdom

    • Prime rib served medium rare, pink in the middleCheck
    • Prime rib cooked medium well or well doneNo known issues
    • 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
    • NHSBacteria on whole cuts sit on the surface; inside may be pink.Source
    Leftover prime rib
    • 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

  • Canada

    • Prime rib served medium rare, pink in the middleCheck
    • Prime rib cooked medium well or well doneNo known issues
    • 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 CanadaWhole cuts of beef, veal, lamb: medium-rare 63°C internal (thermometer).Source
    Leftover prime rib
    • 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

  • Australia

    • Prime rib served medium rare, pink in the middleCheck
    • Prime rib cooked medium well or well doneNo known issues
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Cook all meat and poultry to at least 75°C and eat hot.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Do not eat raw or rare meat.Source
    Leftover prime rib
    • 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

  • New Zealand

    • Prime rib served medium rare, pink in the middleCheck
    • Prime rib cooked medium well or well doneNo known issues
    • Health NZCook meat until piping hot throughout and juices run clear; never rare; no temperature per cut.Source
    • Health NZNever eat rare or undercooked meat; cook until piping hot and juices run clear.Source
    Leftover prime rib
    • 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

  • Ireland

    • Prime rib served medium rare, pink in the middleCheck
    • Prime rib cooked medium well or well doneNo known issues
    • HSEAvoid raw or under-cooked meat; cook all meat thoroughly. No whole-cut exception.Source
What to check

Before you eat prime rib.

  1. Check the middle of the roast with a thermometer

    Push it into the thickest part of the roast, away from the bone. Health Canada's chart for whole cuts of beef 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, reach 145°F, then rest it for 3 minutes

    The FDA's number for beef roasts, steaks and chops is 145°F inside, followed by a 3-minute rest before carving. FDA

  3. In Australia and New Zealand, ask for it well done

    Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks for all meat cooked to at least 75°C and eaten hot, and says not to eat raw or rare meat. 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

  4. Chill leftovers within 2 hours

    The FDA asks for leftovers refrigerated within 2 hours, eaten within 3 to 4 days and reheated to 165°F. Health Canada asks for them eaten within 2 to 3 days and reheated to 74°C. FDA

Questions

About prime rib
in pregnancy.

Medium rare prime rib shows Check in Doola Scan in all six countries. Health Canada's chart puts medium-rare whole cuts of beef at 63°C (145°F), the same as the FDA's 145°F with a rest, while Australia asks for at least 75°C and New Zealand says never rare.

Health Canada's chart gives 71°C (160°F) for medium whole cuts of beef, above the FDA's 145°F. Australia's number is still at least 75°C for all meat, so a thermometer is the easiest way to know.

The UK Food Standards Agency explains that bacteria on whole cuts of beef and lamb sit on the outside surface, so steaks and joints can be pink inside once the outside is cooked. Meat that has been minced or skewered is different and needs cooking through.

None of these countries' pregnancy food lists names ribs. For pork ribs, the FDA asks for pork cooked to 145°F with a 3-minute rest, and Health Canada gives 71°C. Beef ribs fall under the whole cut advice.

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. Prime rib cooked medium well or well done shows No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. Each country's cooking rule for beef applies from the first weeks of pregnancy to the last.

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.