Is Raw oysters safe during pregnancy?

Seafood & shellfish

Avoid

The US FDA says raw oysters and other raw shellfish should be avoided in pregnancy; the NHS lists raw shellfish as a food to avoid.[1,2,3,4,5]

What official sources say

US FDA: Meat, Poultry & Seafood (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)

  • Moms-to-be should avoid eating raw or undercooked finfish or shellfish (including oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops).[1]
  • This makes raw mollusks particularly unsafe to eat. Seafood that's been cooked thoroughly is safe to eat.[1]

US FDA: Eating Out & Bringing In (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)

  • Don't eat raw or undercooked finfish or shellfish (including oysters, clams, and mussels).[2]

NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy

  • Fish and seafood › Foods to avoid: Raw fish and raw shellfish are on the list of foods to avoid in pregnancy.[3]
  • Raw shellfish should also be avoided, because it can contain bacteria or toxins that can make you seriously ill or cause food poisoning.[3]

FSANZ: Listeria in food

  • Avoid pre-prepared ready-to-eat foods, especially: chilled seafood such as raw oysters, sashimi and sushi, smoked ready-to-eat seafood and cooked ready-to-eat prawns (advice for vulnerable people, including pregnant women)[4]

FSANZ: Food safety for vulnerable people

  • Higher-risk foods: Oysters, sushi, sashimi, ceviche (advice for vulnerable people, including pregnant women)[5]

Sources

  1. US FDA: Meat, Poultry & Seafood (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be) · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
  2. US FDA: Eating Out & Bringing In (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be) · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
  3. 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.
  4. FSANZ: Listeria in food · foodstandards.gov.au. © Food Standards Australia New Zealand, licensed under CC BY 4.0; quoted. No endorsement implied.
  5. FSANZ: Food safety for vulnerable people · foodstandards.gov.au. © Food Standards Australia New Zealand, licensed under CC BY 4.0; quoted. No endorsement implied.

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.