Is Canned / tinned food safe during pregnancy?

Prepared & street food

Tinned meat and canned fish are listed as safe

The NHS lists tinned meats as safe; the US CDC lists canned fish and seafood as a safer choice, and the US FDA says canned or shelf-stable smoked seafood and pâtés are okay to eat. These lines do not address other canned foods.[1,2,3]

What official sources say

NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy

  • Meat and poultry › Safe to eat: Any tinned meat is safe to eat in pregnancy.[1]

US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women

  • Safer Choice: Canned fish and seafood[2]

US FDA: Ready-to-Eat Foods (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)

  • It's okay to eat: Canned or shelf-stable smoked seafood.[3]
  • It's okay to eat: Canned or shelf-stable (able to be stored unrefrigerated on the shelf) patés and meat spreads.[3]

Related general rules

ICMR-NIN: Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024

  • Processed foods, including snacks, savouries, soups, sauces, ketchup, salted butter, cheese, canned foods, papads, salted dry fish and salted nuts or dry fruits, add to salt intake. (p. 74) (general-population advice, not specific to pregnancy)[4]

Sources

  1. NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
  2. US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women · cdc.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
  3. US FDA: Ready-to-Eat Foods (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be) · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
  4. ICMR-NIN: Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024 · nin.res.in. Printed page 74. Paraphrased and cited by printed page; the text is not reproduced.

Sources checked 26 September 2026.

Quotes are checked word for word against each source page, and paraphrases against the original text. Official bodies are named as sources only: none of them reviewed or endorses this page.

Educational information, not medical advice. Your own doctor or midwife may advise differently for you — follow their advice.