Response to AAP article 'Pregnancy diet overkill'

20 April 2011

An article issued by AAP on Tuesday 19 April 2011 makes numerous claims regarding dietary advice in pregnancy that are incorrect and misleading.

Among other things it incorrectly attributes the following to the NSW Food Authority:

"According to the NSW Food Health Authority,[sic] it is safer for a woman to reach for a chocolate bar or a bag of hot chips than it is for her to order a salad, or a chicken and avocado sandwich at her local deli."

The NSW Food Authority was not approached for comment for this article and rejects the above statement.

In its role as Australia’s first and only through-chain food regulatory agency the NSW Food Authority is responsible for providing consumers with safer food and clearer choices.

The Authority maintains a segment on its website dedicated to pregnancy and food safety.

It clearly states the best way to meet you and your baby's nutritional needs is to eat a wide variety of nutritious foods.

These should include:

• bread, cereals, rice, pasta & noodles preferably wholegrain or wholemeal
• vegetables & legumes
• fruit
• milk, yoghurt, hard cheese preferably low fat
• meat, fish, poultry, cooked eggs & nuts.

 
The Authority provides information about how best to enjoy those foods safely, what foods to avoid during pregnancy and provides alternatives to foods identified as having a higher risk of containing certain bacteria that could be harmful to pregnant women and their unborn babies.

The guidance material provided by the Authority is not designed for women to avoid healthy and nutritious foods, simply to make safer choices.

For this reason our main advice is to avoid refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods that may have been stored for long periods and look to freshly prepare foods where ever possible.

The Authority provides information on Listeria to pregnant women to allow them to make an informed food choice regarding the risk and how to minimise it. It is not to say that every piece of deli meat has Listeria on it, but some foods have a higher potential rate of contamination than others, and it is better to avoid them.

The risk of acquiring listeriosis is low. However the consequences for a pregnant woman contracting listeriosis are dire.

While the Authority may be accused of ‘being over the top’, we may also be accused of neglecting pregnant women if we did not provide this information so pregnant women could make informed choices in what they eat.

For pregnant women listeriosis may result in serious implications for unborn infants including spontaneous abortion, foetal death, stillbirths and meningitis.

While rare, this was the unfortunate outcome from a listeriosis outbreak from chicken wraps served on an airline during 2009. This outbreak affected 36 people and included 8 cases of materno-foetal infection with three foetal deaths.

Over the last 5 years in Australia there have been between 4 and 14 cases of listeriosis diagnosed in pregnant women or their babies each year. These infections have resulted in the deaths of 8 foetuses or newborn babies.

 Rates of listeriosis are increasing in Europe including France where they have increased over the last five years.

 Listeriosis rates in France are twice that of Australia.

The guidance regarding safe food and listeriosis is only while pregnant, and once the mother has given birth, there is no reason to restrict the diet due to listeriosis.

The same guidance applies to consumers whose immune systems are suppressed because of chronic or acute illnesses, treatments, and the advanced age.