Food Safety for Children and Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women

Pregnant women and young children are among those at highest risk for foodborne illnesses, making safe food handling particularly important for them. This page provides a number of resources specifically for these two groups, as well as breastfeeding women. Additional resources on general safe food handling are also available, as are resources on date labeling on packaged foods. Links to related information can be found at the buttons to the right.

It's important to know that foodborne illness can result in more than just a few unpleasant days of fever and tummy troubles. It can also result in long-term effects and can even be deadly.

Education/Printable Materials

Food Safety for Pregnant Women Booklet Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, FDA; U.S. Department of Agriculture, FSIS
Provides tips and guidance for food safety during pregnancy, including tips for eating out, transporting food and food shopping, reviews the importance of food safety for pregnant women and symptoms for foodborne illness, and more.

Preventing Listeriosis in Pregnant Hispanic Women in the U.S. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, FDA
Provides education tools and materials to help prevent listeriosis in pregnant women in the US, including posters that warn against certain cheeses.

Kids Food Safety Source: Nutrition.gov (compilation) 
Provides links to a variety of resources for kids, including interactive games (paper and mobile); activity, coloring and comic books; educational campaigns; and more.

Information Resources

Food Safety for Moms-to-Be: While You're Pregnant Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, FDA
Provides information on preventing foodborne risks before, during, and after pregnancy, including methylmercury and toxoplasma, as well as on taking folic acid to prevent birth defects and on infant food safety.

Food Safety for Pregnant Women Source: Foodsafety.gov
Reviews foodborne pathogens and their corresponding illnesses' impact during pregnancy and specific guidelines to foods pregnant women should and should not eat, and provides links to other related resources and materials.

Listeria Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC
Provides Q&As, information on symptoms, prevention, those at risk, and foods that are more likely to contain Listeria. 

Protect Your Pregnancy from Listeria Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC
Reviews information about pregnancy and Listeria, provides steps pregnant people can take to protect their baby, and a printable factsheet.