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Can I eat rare steak while pregnant?

Avoid Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Rare steak shows Avoid in Doola Scan in all six countries, and so does medium-rare; steak cooked well done shows No known issues. Doola Scan reads rare steak as raw or undercooked meat, which the NHS says can carry toxoplasma and food-poisoning bacteria. The countries set different numbers: 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 lists whole cuts of beef among the foods you can have when thoroughly cooked on the outside, while Australia and New Zealand say not to eat rare meat.

Check any food in Doola Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Rare steak, red in the middle

    AvoidIn all six countries

  • Medium-rare steak, red to pink in the middle

    AvoidIn all six countries

  • Medium steak, pink in the middle

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Steak cooked well done, no pink

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

Can you eat rare steak while pregnant? What each country says.

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

  • United States

    • Rare steak, red in the middleAvoid
    • Medium-rare steak, red to pink in the middleAvoid
    • Medium steak, pink in the middleCheck
    • Steak cooked well done, no pinkNo 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
    • FDAAvoid eating or tasting raw or undercooked meat or poultry in pregnancy.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

  • United Kingdom

    • Rare steak, red in the middleAvoid
    • Medium-rare steak, red to pink in the middleAvoid
    • Medium steak, pink in the middleCheck
    • Steak cooked well done, no pinkNo 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
    • NHSRaw meat can carry toxoplasma and food-poisoning bacteria.Source
    • NHSBacteria on whole cuts sit on the surface; inside may be pink.Source

  • Canada

    • Rare steak, red in the middleAvoid
    • Medium-rare steak, red to pink in the middleAvoid
    • Medium steak, pink in the middleCheck
    • Steak cooked well done, no pinkNo 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 CanadaAvoid raw or undercooked meat, poultry and game like steak tartare.Source
    • Health CanadaWhole cuts of beef, veal, lamb: medium-rare 63°C internal (thermometer).Source

  • Australia

    • Rare steak, red in the middleAvoid
    • Medium-rare steak, red to pink in the middleAvoid
    • Medium steak, pink in the middleCheck
    • Steak cooked well done, no pinkNo 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
    • 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)Do not eat raw or rare meat.Source

  • New Zealand

    • Rare steak, red in the middleAvoid
    • Medium-rare steak, red to pink in the middleAvoid
    • Medium steak, pink in the middleCheck
    • Steak cooked well done, no pinkNo known issues
    • Health NZCook meat until piping hot throughout and juices run clear; never rare; no temperature per cut.Source
    • Health NZAny raw meat or poultry: don't eat or taste.Source
    • Health NZNever eat rare or undercooked meat; cook until piping hot and juices run clear.Source

  • Ireland

    • Rare steak, red in the middleAvoid
    • Medium-rare steak, red to pink in the middleAvoid
    • Medium steak, pink in the middleCheck
    • Steak cooked well done, no pinkNo known issues
    • HSEAvoid raw or under-cooked meat.Source
    • HSEAvoid raw or under-cooked meat; cook all meat thoroughly. No whole-cut exception.Source
What to check

Before you eat rare steak.

  1. Measure the middle, not the outside

    Push a meat thermometer through the thickest part of the steak to the middle. 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, 145°F and a 3-minute rest

    The FDA's number for beef steaks, roasts and chops is 145°F inside, then a 3-minute rest before cutting. A rare steak seared only on the outside doesn't reach it. FDA

  3. In Australia and New Zealand, no rare meat

    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 the juices run clear. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

  4. In Ireland, cook all meat thoroughly

    Ireland's HSE lists raw or under-cooked meat among the foods to avoid in pregnancy. The NHS also lists rare or undercooked meat as a food to avoid, while allowing whole cuts thoroughly cooked on the outside. HSE

Questions

About rare steak
in pregnancy.

Medium-rare steak shows Avoid in Doola Scan in all six countries, because its rules read it as rare or undercooked meat. Health Canada's chart does list 63°C (145°F) as medium-rare for whole cuts of beef, the same as the FDA's 145°F with a rest, so a thermometer is the way to know.

Medium steak, pink in the middle, shows Check in all six countries, and medium well or well done shows No known issues. Australia's number for all meat is at least 75°C, the strictest of the six.

The NHS says rare or undercooked meat carries a small risk of toxoplasmosis. The UK Food Standards Agency explains that on whole cuts, bacteria sit on the outside surface, which is why the UK treats a well-seared steak differently from mince.

Both are raw beef and show Avoid in Doola Scan in all six countries. Health Canada names steak tartare among the raw meats to avoid.

If you're worried, talk to your midwife or doctor. They can tell you what to look out for.

Yes. Each country's cooking rule for steak 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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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.

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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.