Is Crab sticks (surimi) safe during pregnancy?
Seafood & shellfish
No official guidance
None of the official sources we searched names crab sticks in its pregnancy advice, so there is no official verdict. The general rules below still apply.
No official guidance
We searched these official sources for “Crab sticks”, “Kanikama” and “Seafood sticks”. None names this food in its pregnancy advice, so this page gives no verdict of its own.
- US FDA / US EPA: Advice about Eating Fish (For Those Who Might Become or Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding and Children Ages 1 - 11 Years)
- US FDA: Meat, Poultry & Seafood (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
- US FDA: Dairy and Eggs (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
- US FDA: Fruits, Veggies and Juices (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
- US FDA: Ready-to-Eat Foods (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
- US FDA: Eating Out & Bringing In (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
- US FDA: Dietary Advice Before and During Pregnancy
- US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women
- US CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy
- NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy
- NHS: Pregnancy vitamins and supplements
- NHS: Drinking alcohol while pregnant
- FSANZ: Listeria in food
- FSANZ: Food safety for vulnerable people
- FSANZ: Mercury in fish
- FSANZ: Pregnancy and healthy eating
- FSANZ: Raw fish dishes
- FSSAI: Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 - Compendium Version VIII, Reg. 9 (warnings/declarations)
- FSSAI: Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 - Chapter 2.10 Beverages (Version 3): standards for carbonated and non-carbonated caffeinated beverages
- ICMR-NIN: Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: cinnamon
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: fenugreek
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: garlic
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: soy
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: turmeric
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: ginger
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: flaxseed-and-flaxseed-oil
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: pomegranate
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: licorice-root
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: aloe-vera
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: peppermint-oil
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: green-tea
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: bromelain
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: ashwagandha
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: chamomile
General rules that still apply
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)[1]
NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy
- Fruit and vegetables › Foods to be careful with: Pre-packed sandwiches and salads need care in pregnancy: keep them in the fridge and eat them before their use-by date.[2]
US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women
- Safer Choice:
Canned fish and seafood
[3]
Nutrition per 100 g (USDA)
| Energy | 99 kcal |
| Protein | 15.18 g |
| Fibre | 0 g |
| Sugars | 0 g |
| Iron | 0.26 mg |
| Calcium | 9 mg |
| Folate (DFE) | 2 µg |
| Folate, total | 2 µg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 20 µg |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.6 µg |
| DHA (omega-3) | 0.241 g |
| EPA (omega-3) | 0.157 g |
| Caffeine | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 143 mg |
USDA FoodData Central: Fish, surimi (FDC ID 173702), per 100 g. Public domain. Values describe that USDA record; composition varies with variety and preparation.
Sources
- FSANZ: Listeria in food · foodstandards.gov.au. © Food Standards Australia New Zealand, licensed under CC BY 4.0; 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.
- US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women · cdc.gov. US government work, public domain; 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.