Is Leftovers safe during pregnancy?

Prepared & street food

Chill quickly; reheat until steaming hot

The US FDA says to refrigerate leftovers within two hours; FSANZ advises vulnerable people to eat them within 1 day and reheat them until steaming hot.[1,2,3]

What official sources say

FSANZ: Listeria in food

  • Refrigerated leftovers should be eaten within 3-4 days (or within 1 day for vulnerable people) (advice for vulnerable people, including pregnant women)[1]
  • Reheat food thoroughly until it is steaming hot (75°C) (advice for vulnerable people, including pregnant women)[1]

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

  • Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared food, and leftovers within two hours of eating or preparation.[2]
  • Discard food that's left out at room temperature for longer than two hours. When temperatures are above 90° F (32° C), discard food after one hour.[2]

NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy

  • Heat ready meals until steaming hot all the way through, which matters most for meals that contain poultry.[3]

Sources

  1. FSANZ: Listeria in food · foodstandards.gov.au. © Food Standards Australia New Zealand, licensed under CC BY 4.0; quoted. No endorsement implied.
  2. US FDA: Ready-to-Eat Foods (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be) · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
  3. NHS: Have a healthy diet 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.

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.