Are mushrooms safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about mushrooms during pregnancy?

1. Enoki mushrooms were first linked to listeriosis illnesses in 2020, in an outbreak that sickened 48 people, 36 in the United States and 12 in Canada. 1
2. Six of the illnesses in that 2020 enoki outbreak were associated with pregnancy, and two of those ended in fetal loss. 1
3. Adequate cooking kills Listeria monocytogenes, yet 24 percent of people eating enoki at home and 39 percent eating them out reported having them raw or cooked in a way that would not fully inactivate the bacteria. 1
4. Mushrooms sit on FDA's list of perishable produce that belongs in a clean refrigerator at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, and produce can pick up contamination after harvest during storage or preparation. 2
5. Mushrooms provide a little vitamin D, and some are exposed to ultraviolet light to raise that content, against a recommended 15 mcg (600 IU) a day during pregnancy. 3

Is mushrooms safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Mushrooms are not a first-trimester problem, and their savory depth is useful when meat has stopped appealing to you. The one habit to fix now is the raw garnish: enoki scattered over a bowl, thin raw slices in a salad. Heat is what removes the risk.
• Second trimester. Restaurant food picks back up here, and enoki are usually added at the end, over soups and hot pots, which does not always cook them through. Ask for them cooked in, or leave them. Everything else on the plate is unaffected.
• Third trimester. Listeria symptoms can appear weeks after the meal, so late-pregnancy illness may trace back a long way. Store mushrooms in a refrigerator held at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below and cook them until steaming hot rather than just warmed.