Food authority issues new advice for pregnant women over 'deadly' bacteria fears

Hilary Barry explains why parents shouldn't sterilise their baby's dummies. Video / The Hits

Sushi, soft cheese, raw meat and shellfish have long been blacklisted for mums-to-be, due to the potential risk of exposure to dangerous bacteria.

But newly issued advice might come as a surprise.

Pregnant women are being warned to avoid unpasteurised juice and tahini in updated advice issued by the Government's food authority.

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Food Standards Australia and New Zealand updated its advice on pregnancy and food safety this week after the New Zealand Government issued new recommendations.

FSANZ said the advice is for all pregnant women, including Australians, and suggests they avoid items such as fresh juice and hummus or other dips containing tahini.

It is based on fears these products could cause listeria, a form of food poisoning, which in pregnant women can spread from the gut to the placenta.

Symptoms can be mild such as a fever, headache, diarrhoea and nausea, but listeria can also trigger meningitis (inflammation around the brain) or encephalitis (infection of the brain) which can cause headaches, stiff necks, and seizures.

Unpasteurised juices have been declared a danger. Photo / iStock

It may also cause septicaemia, better known as blood poisoning.

"Pregnant women generally experience mild symptoms themselves; however infections during the pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or infection of the newborn baby," the department of health website states.

"Symptoms usually start between three to 70 days after eating food contaminated with the bacteria."

The disease mainly affects the elderly, pregnant women and their unborn babies, and people with weakened immune systems.

"Fruit juice is something we all see as so healthy. It's great nutritionally but there's a risk when it comes to an important pathogen called listeria," UNSW associate professor of Food Microbiology, Julian Cox, told the Morning Show.

"Unpasteurised juices that are pressed or blended and presented ready-to-drink, present a risk."

"The average healthy adult, no problem at all. But when it comes to pregnancy and listeria, which can infect at low dose and have severe outcomes, it's really best to avoid them."

He said to avoid juices which are "cold pressed" or made fresh and to opt for supermarket juices that are packaged and pasteurised, meaning they've undergone a thermal treatment to kill bacteria.

Hummus containing tahini is also a no-go. Photo / Supplied

Those who enjoy dip and crackers for their afternoon snack have also been dealt a blow.

The new advice suggests hummus is not safe to consume for pregnant women because it contains tahini, a paste made from sesame seeds.

"The issue with hummus is the tahini," associate professor Cox said.

"There have been a number of outbreaks of salmonellosis associated with tahini or foods containing tahini."

He also warned against deli meats, raw seafood, unpasteurised dairy products, soft-serve ice-cream and prepacked fruit and vegetables.

"Food poisoning during pregnancy generally has more severe outcomes than for the average healthy adult," he said.

Pregnant women are advised to keep the kitchen clean, bin leftovers after 24 hours and keep the fridge under 5C.