Is Caesar dressing safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about Caesar dressing during pregnancy?

1. Homemade Caesar dressing made with a raw egg is named specifically as one to skip, while the bottled kind from the grocery store is called out as safe since it's made with pasteurized eggs. 1
2. Pregnant women are named as one of the specific groups more likely to get seriously ill if a Salmonella infection does happen, along with young children and older adults. 2
3. A CDC study of real restaurants found 80 percent were using unpasteurized eggs and most admitted to sometimes serving undercooked eggs, which is exactly why it's worth asking how a dressing is made before you order it. 3
4. A real outbreak investigation once found restaurant-made Caesar dressing prepared with raw shell eggs testing positive for Salmonella, right along with the mayonnaise from the same kitchen. 4
5. A Salmonella infection in pregnancy hasn't been linked to a higher chance of birth defects, and serious complications like a bloodstream infection are uncommon, showing up in roughly 4 out of 100 cases. 5

Is Caesar dressing safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Morning sickness might already have you steering clear of rich sauces, and that's fine either way. If a Caesar salad craving hits, reach for bottled dressing from the fridge aisle instead of a fresh-made version.
• Second trimester. Eating out often gets easier once early nausea fades, so this is a good trimester to build the habit of asking your server how the Caesar dressing is made before you order a salad.
• Third trimester. Vomiting and diarrhea from a foodborne illness can dehydrate you quickly this late in pregnancy, so call your healthcare provider promptly if you get sick after a restaurant meal instead of waiting it out at home.