Colorado State University Extension
SafeFood Rapid Response Network
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Holiday Food Safety for Moms to Be
Edited by: Stephanie Wallner, M.S., Mary Schroeder, M.S., R.D, Pat Kendall, Ph.D., R.D., Colorado State - Fall 2005
During the holiday season, food safety precautions and concerns about foodborne illness can become increasingly important for everyone, and even more so for pregnant women. While pregnant women are always at increased risk for illness from foodborne infections, the holiday season can bring additional challenges to staying healthy. During pregnancy, both a woman and her fetus are susceptible to infections such as listeriosis and toxoplasmosis, which can cause serious illnesses and complications.
Listeria monocytogenes, which causes 
listeriosis, is associated with risky foods including soft raw milk cheeses, cold smoked seafood, deli meats, meat spreads, and deli salads - many of which are popular holiday party foods. Toxoplasma gondii, the pathogen that causes toxoplasmosis, is associated with raw and undercooked meat, unwashed fruits and vegetables, and cat litter boxes. These pathogens are always dangerous for pregnant women, but food safety precautions to avoid them may go overlooked as the busy holiday season approaches.
Holiday gatherings, dinners, and parties can create a number of food safety risks for pregnant women. Foods may stay out of refrigeration on buffet lines or tables at parties for many hours, hot foods begin to cool and are not reheated properly before consumption, and cross-contamination can occur when serving utensils are shared between different dishes or used during both food preparation and serving. Party hosts are busy and stressed, and may take shortcuts with proper food handling or preparation as guests begin to arrive. In addition, many foods that are dangerous to immune-compromised persons are popular during the holidays. These include deli meats and salads, soft raw milk cheeses, cold smoked fish, spreads, and patés, along with soufflés, mousses, meringues and egg nogs containing raw or undercooked eggs.
Despite these risks, it is possible for pregnant women to remain healthy by paying extra attention to food safety during the holiday season. When hosting parties, there are four important guidelines to remember: clean, separate, cook, and chill. Hands should be washed thoroughly before and after food preparation; clean utensils should be used for food serving; buffet dishes not eaten within two hours should be refrigerated. 
Pregnant women should avoid foods such as eggnog, cookie dough, desserts containing raw eggs, deli meats, cold smoked fish, soufflés, and soft cheeses -often popular buffet and party foods. Pasteurized eggs, including powdered egg whites, can be used to prepare certain dishes safely. In addition, food thermometers should always be used when preparing turkeys and other meats so that they are cooked completely.
The USDA offers help through a meat and poultry hotline, at 1-888-MPHotline, and more information is available at www.fsis.usda.gov. Finally, there are also ways to adjust favorite holiday recipes to make them safe for pregnant women to consume. The FDA offers revised recipes for chocolate mousse, custard desserts, and eggnog at www.cfsan.fda.gov/~pregnant/newhol.html.
By taking important food safety precautions and paying extra attention to the foods they eat, pregnant women can enjoy holiday celebrations and avoid dangerous illnesses caused by foodborne infection.
The following website provides more information about holiday food safety for pregnant women:www.cfsan.fda.gov/pregnancy.html
Educator Tools Resource
Go to the same website www.cfsan.fda.gov/pregnancy.html and click on "Educator Tools" to download everything needed to teach a class on Food Safety for Moms-to-Be. The following can be downloaded in English and Spanish:
- Educator's Resource Guide (pdf)
- Slides/Talking Points (PowerPoint®)
- Poster and Flyer
- Video Recording: "What is Foodborne Illness -- and How Does It Affect Me and My Unborn Baby?" Length - 20 minutes. (requires Real Player or Windows Media.)
