Is mayonnaise safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about mayonnaise during pregnancy?

1. Pregnant women are among the groups at highest risk for listeriosis, so keep ready-to-eat foods like deli meat refrigerated at or below 40°F and never left out for more than two hours. 1
2. Fully cooking eggs and meat lowers your chance of Salmonella infection, which is rare but can lead to complications including miscarriage. 2
3. Salmonella outbreaks are mostly linked to raw eggs and raw egg products like homemade mayonnaise, while pasteurized eggs and controlled acidity are what keep the manufactured jarred version safe. 3
4. Mayonnaise and aioli made with raw egg are frequently identified as sources of Salmonella during foodborne outbreaks. 4
5. One outbreak investigation traced a cluster of Salmonella infections to a restaurant's shell egg-based Caesar dressing and mayonnaise, both of which tested positive for the bacteria, after kitchen staff didn't realize raw shell eggs could be risky. 5

Is mayonnaise safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Mayonnaise guidance doesn't change by trimester, but first-trimester nausea and food cravings often bring cold sandwiches, egg salad, or coleslaw into the picture. Check whether the mayo is a refrigerated jarred product or something freshly made with raw egg, the same way you would later in pregnancy.
• Second trimester. Appetite typically picks back up in the second trimester, and cravings for creamy dressings, tuna salad, or a mayo-heavy sandwich are common. Store-bought mayonnaise is still fine to eat. Just keep the same caution around fresh aioli, house-made Caesar dressing, and deli salads that have been sitting out.
• Third trimester. The guidance doesn't loosen as delivery gets closer. Potato salad, pasta salad, and sandwich spreads at a shower, cookout, or buffet are exactly the kind of food that can sit out too long, so keep checking refrigeration and freshness right through the third trimester.