Is Salmon safe during pregnancy?
Fish
Best Choice, within oily-fish limits
FDA/EPA lists salmon as a Best Choice (2 to 3 servings a week); the NHS limits oily fish, salmon included, to 2 portions a week.[1,2,3,4]
What official sources say
US FDA / US EPA: Advice about Eating Fish (For Those Who Might Become or Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding and Children Ages 1 - 11 Years)
- Fish chart:
Salmon Best Choice
[1] - Pregnancy and breastfeeding:
Eat 2 to 3 servings a week from the "Best Choices" list (OR 1 serving from the "Good Choices" list).
[1] - Pregnancy and breastfeeding:
1 serving is 4 ounces
[1] Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding consume between 8 and 12 ounces per week of a variety of seafood from choices that are lower in mercury.
[1]
US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women
NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy
- Fish and seafood › Foods to limit: Oily fish, such as salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring, should be limited to no more than 2 portions a week in pregnancy.[3]
NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy
- Aim to eat 2 portions of fish a week, one of them an oily fish such as salmon, sardines or mackerel.[4]
Related general rules
NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy
- Fish and seafood › Safe to eat: Cooked fish is safe to eat in pregnancy.[3]
US FDA: Meat, Poultry & Seafood (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
Finfish should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145° F (63° C).
[5]
US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women
- Safer Choice:
Fish cooked to a safe internal temperature of 145°F or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork
[2]
ICMR-NIN: Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024
- Vitamin B12 can come from yoghurt or curd, eggs and flesh foods, and fatty fish is a good source of long-chain omega-3 fats. (p. 13)[6]
Nutrition per 100 g (USDA)
| Energy | 208 kcal |
| Protein | 20.42 g |
| Fibre | 0 g |
| Sugars | 0 g |
| Iron | 0.34 mg |
| Calcium | 9 mg |
| Folate (DFE) | 26 µg |
| Folate, total | 26 µg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 58 µg |
| Vitamin C | 3.9 mg |
| Vitamin D | 11 µg |
| Vitamin B12 | 3.23 µg |
| Choline | 78.5 mg |
| DHA (omega-3) | 1.104 g |
| EPA (omega-3) | 0.862 g |
| Caffeine | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 59 mg |
USDA FoodData Central: Fish, salmon, Atlantic, farmed, raw (FDC ID 175167), per 100 g. Public domain. Values describe that USDA record; composition varies with variety and preparation.
Sources
- US FDA / US EPA: Advice about Eating Fish (For Those Who Might Become or Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding and Children Ages 1 - 11 Years) · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women · cdc.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- 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.
- 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.
- US FDA: Meat, Poultry & Seafood (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be) · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- ICMR-NIN: Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024 · nin.res.in. Printed page 13. 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.