Gone are the days when a pregnant woman could happily eat for two without stressing over every morsel consumed. Nowadays, we are far better informed regarding the nutritional requirements for a healthy pregnancy and which foods a pregnant woman should and should not eat. Surprisingly, orange juice, usually considered a healthy drink, can pose a potential risk to a pregnant women and her baby.


Throughout the pregnancy, a woman’s immune system is weakened, leaving her more susceptible to contracting foodborne illnesses. With her weakened immunity, she is about 20 times more likely to succumb to the effects of harmful bacteria such as Listeria. If caught, Listeria has the potential to cross the placenta and infect the unborn baby, possibly leading to miscarriage.

Foods which harbor the Listeria bacteria are most commonly found in unpasteurized dairy products, including milk, mold-ripened and blue-veined cheeses, as well as unwashed vegetables and cold meat. Unpasteurized orange juice also fits into this category.

When something is pasteurized, it’s quickly heated to a very high temperature, which kills off any living pathogens (germs) which may still be present in the food or liquid. However, not all orange juice is a potential risk to pregnant women. In fact, according to the CDC, ‘about 98 percent of all juices sold in the United States are pasteurized’ and are therefore safe for pregnant women.

Those fruit juices which are safe to drink include long life juices which are stored at room temperature and are made from a concentrate. These juices will have undergone heat treatment as part of the concentration process. Other safe to drink juices may be found in the freezer section as a concentrate or labeled ‘freshly squeezed’ in the refrigerated section of the store.

Juices that have been pasteurized may be labeled declaring this fact. However, this isn’t always the case since there are other methods used to kill off bacteria. Products which haven’t been pasteurized may have a warning label on the packaging indicating that the product could contain harmful bacteria to certain groups of people.

Making freshly squeezed fruit juice at home is an alternative option. However, it’s important to wash the fruit thoroughly beforehand, which should prevent the possibility of contamination from the skin entering the juice. And always drink it as soon as it's been made. It’s also vital that pregnant women take care to avoid all other unpasteurized products.

Fortunately, the risks of catching Listeria through drinking orange juice is quite small. To be safe, it’s always best to inspect the label on every fruit juice to see if whether or not the product has been pasteurized. If there is any ambiguity, avoid buying the product and choose another that's clearly labeled as pasteurized.