Is Cod Safe During Pregnancy? (Updated 2026 Guide)
Updated September 10, 2026
The Answer
Yes cod can fit your pregnancy diet when fully cooked and handled hygienically. FDA/EPA classify cod as a Best Choice; include it within a variety of lower mercury seafood totaling 2–3 adult 4-ounce servings (8–12 ounces) per week, not a separate allowance for each species.
The main considerations are thorough cooking, hygienic handling and storage, and your total weekly seafood intake. Cook cod to 145°F or until opaque and separating easily with a fork; freezing or salt curing does not replace cooking. Ingredient grades do not measure mercury or pathogens, and our review of three plain cod records is a limited sample, not a recommendation for every cod product.
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✓ What's Safe
- • Check that the label identifies cod fish, rather than black cod/sablefish or cod liver oil.
- • Choose cod you can cook to 145°F or until opaque and separating easily with a fork.
- • Plan cod portions within the shared weekly allowance of 2–3 adult 4-ounce servings (8–12 ounces) of varied lower mercury seafood.
- • Follow the package's handling, storage, and cooking instructions, including for frozen cod.
- • For salted cod, follow the package's soaking/desalting instructions and then cook thoroughly.
✗ What to Avoid
- • Avoid raw or undercooked cod during pregnancy.
- • Do not eat raw frozen cod without cooking it; freezing does not make raw fish ready to eat.
- • Do not treat salt curing or soaking as a substitute for cooking, or assume soaking removes mercury.
- • Do not add a separate cod allowance on top of your other weekly seafood servings.
- • Avoid treating an ingredient grade as proof of safe storage, preparation, mercury levels, or freedom from contamination.
Ingredients in the Reviewed Sample
Selected ingredients are counted once per product where the reviewed source label declares them. Compound label phrases are normalized. These are occurrence counts, not amounts or a complete ingredient list.
Cod Products We've Analyzed
This page uses a source-reviewed sample of 3 cod product records. It is not a comprehensive catalog count or a pregnancy-safety ranking.
This source-reviewed sample contains 3 stored label records. It is not a market-wide count, complete current-label verification, or product recommendation. Ingredient grades do not measure preparation, storage, caffeine, mercury or contamination; use the food-specific guidance above.
Pregnancy Safe Cod Products
Popular options from our catalog, prioritizing A and B ingredient grades, with C grade options used to fill remaining places. Within each group, products are ordered by searches in Pregnancy Safe, not retail sales. Read the cautions and guidance above; grades do not verify a complete current label or guarantee pregnancy safety.
| Grade | Product | Brand |
|---|---|---|
| A | Atlantic Cod Loins | Sea Best |
| A | Cod Fillets | Aqua Star |
| A | Wild-Caught Atlantic Cod | Blue Circle |
Your Questions Answered
How much cod can I eat during pregnancy?
FDA/EPA list cod as a Best Choice. Aim for a variety of lower mercury seafood totaling 2–3 adult 4-ounce servings (8–12 ounces) per week. Your cod servings count toward that shared total, alongside other seafood not as an additional allowance. FDA serving weights are measured before cooking.
How should I cook cod during pregnancy?
Cook cod to 145°F or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork. Avoid serving it raw or undercooked. Follow hygienic handling and storage practices as well, because cooking guidance does not replace proper food handling.
Is frozen cod safe during pregnancy?
Frozen cod can fit pregnancy guidance when properly handled and fully cooked. Freezing does not make cod safe to eat raw. Follow the package's storage and preparation instructions, and cook to 145°F or until opaque and separating easily with a fork.
Can I eat salted cod while pregnant?
Salted cod can fit pregnancy guidance when you follow its package's soaking/desalting and cooking directions. Salt curing does not make it safe to eat raw, and soaking should not be treated as a way to remove mercury. Count the cod toward your shared weekly seafood allowance.
Is cod a lower mercury fish?
Yes FDA/EPA place cod in the Best Choice tier for mercury. That classification supports including it in a variety of lower mercury seafood during pregnancy, rather than eating unlimited amounts. Keep your combined weekly intake within 2–3 adult 4-ounce servings (8–12 ounces).
Are black cod and cod liver oil covered by the same advice?
No black cod, also called sablefish, is a different fish in the FDA Good Choice tier. Cod liver oil is a supplement with different considerations, not a serving of cod fish. Check the exact label rather than applying this cod guidance to either one.
How to Interpret These Ratings
Our ingredient and category rules generate letter grades from the information recorded in the catalog. Missing ingredients and broad category assignments can affect the result. These grades do not measure your dose, confirm a complete current label, or test a product for contamination.
A high grade is not a guarantee of pregnancy safety. A low grade is not, by itself, proof of harm from every use. Follow the product-specific guidance above, check the actual package, and ask your prenatal clinician about supplements, treatment decisions or uncertain exposures.
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References
- https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/advice-about-eating-fish
- https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/foods/pregnant-women.html
- https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety
- https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/questions-answers-fdaepa-advice-about-eating-fish-those-who-might-become-or-are-pregnant-or