Foodborne illnesses can lead to maternal illness as well as congenital disease, spontaneous abortion, preterm birth and fetal death. In order to reduce the risk of foodborne illness, pregnant women need to do the following. 1. Pay attention to food safety 1. Practice good personal hygiene habits (wash hands regularly). 2.Eat only fully cooked livestock, fish and poultry (including eggs). 3.Avoid unpasteurized dairy products and fruit/vegetable juices. 4. Wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before consumption (about 30 seconds) 5. Avoid raw sprouts (including alfalfa, clover, radish and mung beans). Bacteria can enter the seeds of sprouts through cracks in the pod shell, and these bacteria are almost impossible to clean off. 6. Wash hands, food preparation surfaces, tabletops, dishes and cookware that have come in contact with raw meat, poultry or fish with hot soapy water. Wipe work surfaces with liquid chlorine bleach to disinfect and allow to dry for 10 minutes. Second, avoid foodborne diseases that may adversely affect pregnancy. 1. Toxoplasmosis: Toxoplasmosis is caused by the ingestion of undercooked or cured meat or meat products, fruits and vegetables stained with contaminated soil, and contaminated unfiltered water. 2, Listeriosis monocytogenes: Listeria monocytogenes is a common low-level contaminant in processed and unprocessed plant and animal foods, and hot cooked foods are not a vector for its transmission. The bacterium most commonly contaminates processed meat/ deli meat products, hot dogs, soft cheeses, smoked seafood, pâtés, and French pâtés (paté), but can also be transmitted via fresh fruits and vegetables that are typically eaten raw. 3. Brucellosis: Brucellosis is caused by the ingestion of contaminated food, such as raw meat, raw milk or cheese made from unpasteurized (raw) milk. Pregnant women are advised to eat only cooked fish to avoid potentially harmful organisms. However, pregnant women who have eaten “sushi-grade” raw fish can be assured that it is generally safe, as long as the raw fish has been properly frozen, a procedure that removes most parasites and bacteria. These women should be advised to stop eating raw fish in the future. 2. Fish can be contaminated with environmental contaminants, such as methylmercury. Methylmercury exposure (mainly through consumption of contaminated fish) can cause severe fetal central nervous system damage, as well as less severe intellectual, motor and psychosocial impairment. It is recommended that pregnant women (or women who are planning to become pregnant or are breastfeeding) should avoid any shark, swordfish, large-eared mackerel, marlin, orange-spined snapper, squarehead (Gulf of Mexico) or bigeye tuna (other species of tuna are edible) because they may contain high levels of mercury. 3. It is recommended to consume 2-3 servings a week of seafood that is likely to be very low in mercury or other contaminants, or 1 serving of seafood that is likely to be low in mercury or other contaminants.