Can you eat salmon while pregnant?

What to avoid

• Level E FDA: Raw or undercooked fish or shellfish, or food containing raw or undercooked seafood (for example, sashimi) found in some sushi or ceviche. (FDA list of foods for at-risk groups to avoid: pregnant women, children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems) FDA, Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Seafood Safely, accessed 2026-10-12
• Level E FoodSafety.gov: Raw seafood may contain parasites or germs, including Listeria, that can make pregnant women sick and could potentially harm their babies. FoodSafety.gov, People at Risk: Pregnant Women, accessed 2026-10-12
• Level E ACOG: You should also avoid raw fish and shellfish, including sushi. Raw fish has a higher risk of making you sick. ACOG, Nutrition During Pregnancy (FAQ), accessed 2026-10-12
• Level E FDA: Refrigerated smoked seafood and raw or undercooked seafood. («Make Safe Menu Choices», Higher Risk) FDA, Food Safety for Pregnant Women and Their Unborn Babies (booklet), accessed 2026-10-12

Amounts and limits

• Level E FDA: 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. FDA, Food Safety for Pregnant Women and Their Unborn Babies (booklet), accessed 2026-10-12
• Level E FDA: Goal: Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should eat 2 to 3 servings and children should eat 2 servings of a variety of fish each week from the “Best Choices” list. FDA, Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Seafood Safely, accessed 2026-10-12
• Level E ACOG: You should eat two or three servings of fish or shellfish per week before getting pregnant, while pregnant, and while breastfeeding. ACOG, Nutrition During Pregnancy (FAQ), accessed 2026-10-12

Safer choices and when it is OK

• Level E FDA: Fully cooked fish that is firm and flaky. («Make Safe Menu Choices», Lower Risk) FDA, Food Safety for Pregnant Women and Their Unborn Babies (booklet), accessed 2026-10-12

How to cook or handle it

• Level E FoodSafety.gov: All seafood dishes should be cooked to 145°F (63°C). FoodSafety.gov, People at Risk: Pregnant Women, accessed 2026-10-12
• Level E FDA: Most seafood should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F. FDA, Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Seafood Safely, accessed 2026-10-12
• Level E FoodSafety.gov: Fish (whole or filet), such as salmon, tuna, tilapia, pollock, bass, cod, catfish, trout, etc. 145°F (63°C) or cook until flesh is no longer translucent and separates easily with a fork (Safe Minimum Internal Temperature chart row (cells joined by a space)) FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures, accessed 2026-10-12

Word-for-word quotes from official US sources. Level E means the position of an expert body. How we grade evidence.

Mercury: FDA testing 1990 to 2012. Groups and servings: FDA and EPA advice for people who are or may become pregnant and those who are breastfeeding. A serving is 4 oz (113 g) before cooking.

USDA FoodData Central, Fish, salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked, dry heat. It has 234 calories. Daily Values are the standard adult label values, not pregnancy targets.

• Level B In a trial in 123 pregnant women, two 5.3 oz (150 g) portions of farmed salmon a week from week 20 led to higher total essential amino acids at week 38 without changing cord blood levels. Clin Nutr, 2014
• Level B In an RCT in 123 pregnant women, two 5.3 oz (150 g) portions of farmed salmon a week from week 20 did not change maternal gut bacteria or gut immune markers. Br J Nutr, 2014
• Level E FDA and EPA list both cod and salmon as Best Choices and advise 2 to 3 servings a week for people who are or may become pregnant. U.S. FDA and EPA, Advice about Eating Fish, 2021
• Level E FDA and EPA advise people who are pregnant or breastfeeding to eat 8 to 12 ounces of lower-mercury seafood a week, and salmon sits in the Best Choices group they name. U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Advice about Eating Fish

Levels: A is a meta-analysis of trials, B a randomized trial, C an observational study, D lab or animal work, E an expert position. How we grade evidence.

Salmon is one of the fish FDA and EPA want people to eat in pregnancy, not just tolerate. Fresh or frozen salmon averaged 0.022 ppm of mercury in FDA testing, and canned 0.014 ppm, both in the Best Choices group (Level E).

A 4 oz serving of cooked farmed Atlantic salmon has 25.1 g of protein and 15 mcg of vitamin D, about three quarters of the Daily Value.

In a trial in 123 pregnant women, two 5.3 oz (150 g) portions of farmed salmon a week from week 20, about 10.6 oz a week and inside the FDA range, raised essential amino acids in the mother's blood at week 38 without changing cord blood levels (Level B). That is a blood marker, not a health outcome for mother or baby.

The 2 to 3 servings a week are the total for all fish and shellfish, not a separate allowance for salmon. Cook it to 145°F, until it flakes. Raw salmon in sushi and refrigerated smoked salmon (lox) are on the lists to avoid.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level E FDA and EPA advise people who are pregnant or breastfeeding to eat 8 to 12 ounces of lower-mercury seafood a week, and salmon sits in the Best Choices group they name. U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Advice about Eating Fish
2. Level B In a trial in 123 pregnant women, two 5.3 oz (150 g) portions of farmed salmon a week from week 20 led to higher total essential amino acids at week 38 without changing cord blood levels. Clin Nutr, 2014

Written from the agency positions and data on this page, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

• Salmon: what the research says
• How much salmon per week is safe?
• Can you eat salmon raw?