Store bought houmous and guacamole - listeria risk?

[Anxioustealady]

Hi everyone, 20 weeks pregnant with my first.

I read online you shouldn't eat store bought houmous (the sesame seeds are a listeria risk) or guacamole, but this seems to be America/Australian advice.

Does anyone know it's safe or not? I'll happily go without for the babies sake.

If I put them on a tortilla in the oven for 10 minutes, that would make them safe anyway right?

The ones I wanted were Holy Moly Guacamole and Waitrose olive oil houmous.

Thanks 😁

I’ve never heard of either being considered a risk however as with all refrigerated foods, once open you need to consume within 48 hours.

both are very easy to make yourself too.

The US has tonnes of random pregnancy food advice that the NHS doesnt - presumably because their food standards are so terrible. If you are in the UK, just follow the NHS pages and you'll be fine. As an aside, I ate masses of guacamole and preprepared smashed avo whilst pregnant and no harm done.

The only online advice I would stick to is that from the NHS

https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/

It's aimed at the UK and takes account of UK food hygiene standards and so on.

Hummus and guacamole are fine.

Yes I know they're easy to make, I'm just being a bit lazy with food currently because I don't really feel like eating anything.

I was thinking what I used to eat, and wondering if I'm overly restricting what I can have.

Great thank you. I started googling everything and it seems like there's nothing you can eat.

I also read about people in Australia getting hep A from frozen berries. Luckily it's not a problem here.

I think I might buy the prepared stuff but then have it warm, until I feel less anxious. Thank you

Thanks 😊 I've got prenatal anxiety around food but I think I'm starting to come out the other side, slowly.

It's very common I think to be anxious about food in pregnancy, and the fact that there is so much stuff online that is US-based or from other countries where they have very different standards and laws is often very confusing.

Yeah it's very overwhelming. Most days I don't even know what to eat because I've cut so much stuff out, lots of healthy things like houmous, feta, salads...

The list of food to avoid on the NHS site is really quite short, and often it's just limit rather than avoid altogether. Feta , hummus and salad are all fine. Feta will be pasteurised, hummus is not a risk and salad items just need washing, which you'd do anyway.

I've eaten store bought hummus all pregnancy. Also eaten plenty of salads and various cheeses including feta. 32 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby. Store prepped products from major retailers will be perfectly safe. The only things I've avoided this pregnancy are uncooked cured meats and pate. As PPs have said, stick only to the NHS guidance otherwise you'll drive yourself mad. American sites are pretty dramatic about what you can't eat, but they have lower food standards and no free healthcare (not to mention a culture renowned for suing!) so they err very hard on the side of caution.

Thank you so much for your help. I've been having a really bad time with anxiety around food, but I feel like I'm coming out of it.

I really miss greek salad. So if feta is safe, olives are good I think, and I'll wash the cucumbers and tomatoes. Do you know how to make raw onion safe to eat in pregnancy? Would you wash the outside, then peel and chop it, and rinse it again?

I don't mean to sound so dense, I'm actually a good cook, but I never washed onions before I was pregnant 😬

I’d peel chop and eat a raw onion, or rinse a spring onion and chop. Have you spoken to your midwife about the level of anxiety as it’s quite extended?

That's REALLY reassuring, thank you. I feel a bit nervous to but getting to eat a salad, houmous or fresh fruit without worrying would be incredible.

Congratulations on your healthy pregnancy 😊

I'm 20 weeks and I haven't felt any definite movements yet, I think once I can that will help. I can feel little bubbles so maybe that is it?

Thanks. I know it's really obvious.

I have, I've been referred to the prenatal mental health team and had 1 call, then referred somewhere else and nothing's happened since. I'll chase it up.

I had a difficult childhood and I think it's all come back up to the surface so I'm struggling a bit.

I remember watching a show about food waste where they tested all kinds of foods for bacteria long after sell-by and the hummus was still pretty safe a couple of weeks in.

Obviously no one is recommending eating 2 week old hummus, but it appears to be a pretty low risk, so as long as you eat it in line with instructions it should be fine.

Thank you 😊

It's difficult because everywhere online says it's fine if it's pasteurised, but almost nothing says if it is pasteurised.

Almost everything you buy that requires pasteurisation in a uk supermarket will be pasteurised, they have to declare if unpasteurised not the other way around.

It will say if its not. “Made with raw milk” or “unpasteurised” somewhere on package.

Only thing that sometimes doesn’t is Parmesan as it’s generally understood it’s made from raw milk but the fact it’s ages over 9-12 months makes listeria v unlikely.
but just to be safe get Tesco one as explicitly states - pasteurised.

nothing which is in a skin needs washing - onions/avacados etc.

M&S does a pasteurised Camembert, it’s a dream (white box, says pasteurised on the box)

agree with others OP, stick to the NHS advice only, don’t read online about things relevant to other countries, you will drive yourself insane. If it helps I ate a tonne of deli meat and had to have a listeria test when I was pregnant last - I was craving it like mad. It came back clear 🤣😬

I’ve also had deli meat, smoked salmon and Parmesan not realising and baby has been fine, it’s a small risk but still best to avoid and follow the nhs recommendations.

@Apollo365 running there rn