⚕️ General information only — not medical advice. If pregnant or unwell, always follow the guidance of your midwife, GP or NHS 111. Full disclaimer

Is it safe? Get an instant answer.

Pregnancy food verdicts, fridge storage times, reheating rules and use-by date answers — all based on official NHS, FSA and USDA guidance.

🤰 Pregnancy: can you eat it?

NHS-based verdicts, with the cooked exceptions that put half the 'avoid' list back on the menu.

🔴Brie🔴Smoked Salmon🟢Runny Eggs🟡Sushi🟡Rare Steak🟡Stilton🟡Pâté🟡Tuna🟡Prawns🟡Hummus🟢Mayonnaise🔴Goat's Cheese

All 286 pregnancy foods →

🧊 How long does it last?

Fridge, freezer and cupboard times from the USDA FoodKeeper database.

🧊Cooked Chicken🧊Cooked Rice🧊Eggs🧊Raw Mince🧊Milk (Opened)🧊Leftovers🧊Bacon (Opened)🧊Cooked Pasta🧊Fresh Salmon🧊Cheddar (Opened)🧊Shop-Bought Hummus🧊Bagged Salad (Opened)

All 279 storage guides →

🔥 Can you reheat it?

Once only, 75°C, piping hot — plus the special rules for rice.

🟡Rice🟡Chicken🟡Pasta🟡Pizza🟡Curry🟡Fish🟡Eggs🟡Chinese Takeaway🟡Mashed Potato🟡Soup🟡Lasagne🟡KFC

All 101 reheating guides →

⏰ Left out overnight?

The 2-hour rule, and why reheating can't rescue food that sat out.

🔴Pizza🔴Rice🔴Cooked Chicken🔴Chinese Takeaway🟡Butter🟡Hard Cheese🔴Milk🟢Cake

All 51 left-out answers →

📅 Past the date on the label?

Use-by means don't; best-before means judge it. Which is which:

🟡Eggs🔴Milk🔴Chicken🟡Yoghurt🟢Bread🟢Hard Cheese🟢Tinned Food🟢Chocolate

All 54 date-label answers →

❄️ Can you freeze it?

What freezes well, what turns to mush, and the refreezing rules.

🟢Cooked Chicken🟢Milk🟢Cheddar🟢Bread🟡Eggs🟢Mashed Potato🟢Bananas🟢Double Cream

All 144 freezing answers →

❓ Common questions

A few of the food safety questions that come up again and again in home kitchens.

✓Can you freeze bread?⚠️Bananas left out overnight✓Can you freeze bananas?✓Hard cheese left out overnight⚠️Mayonnaise left out overnight✓Can you freeze cake?✓Soft cheese left out overnight🌡️How long does salmon last in fridge?🌡️How long do bananas last in the fridge?✓Can you freeze cake with frosting?

All storage times →

🤱 Breastfeeding: what's fine now?

Most pregnancy restrictions end at birth. What still applies, and what is back on the menu.

🟡Alcohol🟡Coffee🟡Caffeine🟡Tea🟡Tuna🟡Salmon🟢Brie🟢Sushi🟡Herbal Tea🟡Energy Drinks

All 160 breastfeeding answers →

🗂️ Browse by category

Every food category on the site, in one place.

→Pregnancy Food Safety→Breastfeeding Food Safety→Food Storage Times→Can You Freeze It?→Reheating Food Safely→Use-By & Best-Before Dates→Food Left Out Overnight→Cheese→Meat & Poultry→Fish & Seafood→Eggs→Dairy→Fruit→Vegetables→Leftovers→Rice & Grains→Drinks→Takeaway Food→Bread & Bakery→Cupboard & Tins

🍽️ Browse by food

Every food we cover, with every answer type in one place.

→Chicken→Rice→Eggs→Salmon→Beef→Pork→Lamb→Turkey→Fish→Prawns→Tuna→Bacon→Sausages→Cooked Ham→Mince→Steak→Duck→Milk→Cheese→Butter→Yoghurt→Cream→Brie→Mozzarella→Feta→Pasta→Bread→Pizza→Soup→Curry→Potatoes→Mushrooms→Spinach→Broccoli→Tomatoes→Avocado→Bananas→Strawberries→Grapes→Melon→Honey→Chocolate→Mayonnaise→Hummus→Coleslaw→Quiche→Gravy→Custard→Coffee→Sushi

⭐ Best-of guides

Practical guides built on the same NHS, FSA and USDA sources: pregnancy snacks, first-trimester foods, fridge containers and allergy tests.

⭐Best Pregnancy Snacks⭐Best Foods for the First Trimester⭐Best Fridge Storage Containers⭐Food Allergy and Intolerance Tests

All best-of guides →

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Food safety essentials

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Fridge thermometer

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Digital food thermometer

One probe answers 'is it cooked?' and 'is it reheated?' for good.

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Airtight storage containers

Sealed food lasts longer in the fridge, the freezer and the cupboard.

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The five rules that cover almost everything

  1. The 2-hour rule. Perishable food shouldn't sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour for rice).
  2. Reheat once, to 75°C. Piping hot all the way through, then never reheated again.
  3. Use-by = safety, best-before = quality. Never eat past a use-by date; use judgement past a best-before.
  4. Fridge at 0–5°C, freezer at -18°C. Frozen food is safe indefinitely — only quality declines.
  5. When in doubt, throw it out. Dangerous food usually looks and smells completely normal.

General information only, not medical advice: see the medical disclaimer. Feeling unwell after eating something? Contact NHS 111 or your GP.