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Can I eat raw sprouts while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Raw sprouts, such as alfalfa, bean, broccoli, radish and clover sprouts, get Avoid from Doola Scan in Australia and Check in the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland. The FDA says sprouts grow in warm, humid conditions where bacteria thrive, and asks for them not to be eaten raw or lightly cooked. Cooked until steaming hot, sprouts get Check in all six countries. Health Canada names alfalfa, clover, radish and mung bean sprouts among the raw sprouts to avoid, and NSW Health in Australia says not to eat sprouted seeds.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Raw alfalfa sprouts, in sandwiches, wraps and salads

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaNew ZealandIrelandAvoidAustralia

  • Raw bean sprouts, on pho, in spring rolls and salads

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaNew ZealandIrelandAvoidAustralia

  • Raw broccoli, radish and clover sprouts

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaNew ZealandIrelandAvoidAustralia

  • Sprouts cooked until steaming hot, as in a stir-fry or soup

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

Raw sprouts while pregnant: what each country says.

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

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

  • United States

    Check
    • 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

  • Canada

    Check
    • CPSAvoid raw sprouts.Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid raw sprouts (alfalfa, clover, radish, mung bean); thoroughly cooked sprouts are the safer alternative.Source

  • Australia

    • Raw alfalfa sprouts, in sandwiches, wraps and saladsAvoid
    • Raw bean sprouts, on pho, in spring rolls and saladsAvoid
    • Raw broccoli, radish and clover sproutsAvoid
    • Sprouts cooked until steaming hot, as in a stir-fry or soupCheck
    • 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

  • New Zealand

    Check
    • Health NZSeed sprouts: don't eat unless cooked.Source
What to check

Before you eat raw sprouts.

  1. Cook sprouts until steaming hot

    FoodSafety.gov asks pregnant women to cook sprouts thoroughly, and the FDA says sprouts should not be eaten raw or lightly cooked. A quick toss in the pan that leaves them crunchy is lightly cooked, which Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks you to avoid for bean sprouts. FoodSafety.gov

  2. Leave raw sprouts out of sandwiches and salads

    Health Canada asks pregnant women to avoid raw sprouts, naming alfalfa, clover, radish and mung bean, and says thoroughly cooked sprouts are the better choice. Ask for sprouts to be left off a sandwich or wrap, or on the side of a bowl of pho. Health Canada

  3. In Australia, skip them or cook them through

    NSW Health says not to eat sprouted seeds in pregnancy, and NSW Food Authority says not to eat sprouts raw or lightly cooked. FSANZ says thoroughly cooked sprouts are the alternative to raw ones. NSW Health

Questions

About raw sprouts
in pregnancy.

The FDA says sprouts grow in warm, humid conditions where bacteria thrive, and that they should be thoroughly cooked rather than eaten raw or lightly cooked. FoodSafety.gov and USDA FSIS ask the same, and Doola Scan shows Check for raw sprouts in the US.

Sprouts cooked until steaming hot show Check in all six countries. Health NZ says not to eat seed sprouts unless cooked, and FSANZ names thoroughly cooked sprouts as the alternative to raw ones.

Not for the guidance. Health Canada lists mung bean and alfalfa sprouts together among the raw sprouts to avoid, and Doola Scan reads them the same way; the bean sprouts page covers pho and stir-fries in more detail.

The NHS foods to avoid in pregnancy page doesn't name sprouts. Doola Scan still shows Check for raw sprouts in the UK, as in the US, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland.

The advice on sprouts is about the chance of bacteria, not a certainty. If you feel unwell or are worried, call your midwife or doctor.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. The advice to cook sprouts thoroughly applies from the first weeks of pregnancy to the last.

Yes. Take a photo of the plate, the menu or the label, and Doola Scan checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance, sprouts in a sandwich or salad included. 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.