Refrigerated Pâté & Meat Spreads
Everyday exposureFood & drinkAlso called · 8 names▾▴
pate, pâté, meat spread, liver pâté, vegetable pâté, refrigerated pâté, pâté spread, liver spread
Listeria group
General information · effects depend on amount, timing, and how it is used. About these sources
Research strength: 3 / 5
CDC lists refrigerated pâté and meat spreads as a riskier choice during pregnancy and names sealed shelf-stable products as an alternative. FoodSafety.gov says not to eat refrigerated pâté or meat spreads and gives no 165°F or steaming-hot exception for them. NHS guidance differs: one pregnancy page says to keep meat and vegetable pâté chilled and use it before the use-by date, while its listeriosis page says to avoid all pâté. NHS separately advises against liver products because of their high vitamin A content. A 1993 outbreak study linked specific products to listeriosis, but it does not estimate risk from one serving or all products. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Sources
- CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant WomenUS government
- FoodSafety.gov: People at Risk, Pregnant Women
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancyUK government
- NHS: ListeriosisUK government
- Goulet et al., J Infect Dis 1998: French rillettes outbreakUS government
- Moran et al. 2018: Nutrition and listeriosis during pregnancy, systematic reviewUS government
Research strength: 3 / 5
CDC lists refrigerated pâté and meat spreads as a riskier choice during pregnancy and names sealed shelf-stable products as an alternative. FoodSafety.gov says not to eat refrigerated pâté or meat spreads and gives no 165°F or steaming-hot exception for them. NHS guidance differs: one pregnancy page says to keep meat and vegetable pâté chilled and use it before the use-by date, while its listeriosis page says to avoid all pâté. NHS separately advises against liver products because of their high vitamin A content. A 1993 outbreak study linked specific products to listeriosis, but it does not estimate risk from one serving or all products. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Sources
- CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant WomenUS government
- FoodSafety.gov: People at Risk, Pregnant Women
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancyUK government
- NHS: ListeriosisUK government
- Goulet et al., J Infect Dis 1998: French rillettes outbreakUS government
- Moran et al. 2018: Nutrition and listeriosis during pregnancy, systematic reviewUS government
Research strength: 3 / 5
CDC lists refrigerated pâté and meat spreads as a riskier choice during pregnancy and names sealed shelf-stable products as an alternative. FoodSafety.gov says not to eat refrigerated pâté or meat spreads and gives no 165°F or steaming-hot exception for them. NHS guidance differs: one pregnancy page says to keep meat and vegetable pâté chilled and use it before the use-by date, while its listeriosis page says to avoid all pâté. NHS separately advises against liver products because of their high vitamin A content. A 1993 outbreak study linked specific products to listeriosis, but it does not estimate risk from one serving or all products. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Sources
- CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant WomenUS government
- FoodSafety.gov: People at Risk, Pregnant Women
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancyUK government
- NHS: ListeriosisUK government
- Goulet et al., J Infect Dis 1998: French rillettes outbreakUS government
- Moran et al. 2018: Nutrition and listeriosis during pregnancy, systematic reviewUS government
Refrigerated Pâté & Meat Spreads — Breastfeeding
Research strength: 2 / 5
CDC says breastfeeding mothers generally do not need to limit or avoid specific foods. CDC's Listeria page lists pregnant women, newborns, people 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems as higher-risk groups; breastfeeding is not listed as a separate group. CDC and NHS pâté warnings are written for pregnancy, and no study has looked at pâté intake during breastfeeding. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Pregnancy
CDC identifies refrigerated pâté and meat spreads as a riskier pregnancy choice and lists sealed, shelf-stable products as an alternative. FoodSafety.gov says not to eat refrigerated pâté or meat spreads and recommends refrigerating opened shelf-stable products. The cited pages give reheating directions for some deli meats but not for refrigerated pâté. NHS pages differ: the pregnancy food page says to keep meat and vegetable pâté chilled and eat before the use-by date, while the listeriosis page and meat-in-diet page advise against all types of pâté. NHS separately advises against liver and liver products during pregnancy because of high vitamin A content. Moran et al.'s 2018 systematic review covered 11 observational studies. It reports that a French 1993 outbreak case-control study linked rillettes and country pâté from a particular brand to listeriosis. The PubMed abstract for the original Goulet study confirms an outbreak of 38 patients, including 31 maternal-neonatal patients, and reports a preliminary association between a specific brand of rillettes and infection. The abstract does not report the final adjusted pâté and rillettes estimates listed in the review, so those exact estimates are not repeated here. These outbreak findings do not establish the risk from one serving, current products, or every type of pâté. EFSA's 2010-2011 retail survey tested 13,088 ready-to-eat food samples. Packaged pâtés were included within the heat-treated meat category, but the report does not give a pâté-specific contamination rate. At end of shelf life, 0.43% of meat samples had Listeria counts above 100 CFU/g; this is a sample finding, not a per-serving risk estimate. Ooi et al. (2026) analyzed 1,604 Australian mother-infant dyads using a food-frequency score for foods that could harbor Listeria. The study found no significant associations between the score and infant birth outcomes. It measured dietary frequency rather than confirmed infection, collected intake in late pregnancy, and did not capture food storage or reheating practices. It therefore does not determine the risk from refrigerated pâté.
Breastfeeding
No breastfeeding-specific studies on maternal pâté or meat-spread intake were identified in the sources reviewed. The CDC and NHS pages describe pregnancy or general Listeria guidance, while the research studies assessed pregnancy exposure and infant birth outcomes. None of these sources measures Listeria transfer through human milk or infant effects linked to a breastfeeding parent's pâté intake. The available evidence does not establish a breastfeeding-specific restriction or a milk-related effect.
CDC reports that refrigerated pâté and meat spreads can become contaminated with Listeria during processing in facilities where it persists, and that refrigeration does not kill the bacteria. CDC and FoodSafety.gov distinguish refrigerated products from sealed, shelf-stable spreads. NHS lists liver pâté with liver products, which are high in vitamin A; that is a separate concern for liver-containing spreads.
What was tested
Moran et al.'s review summarized 11 observational studies, mainly case-control studies of food histories and listeriosis. The original Goulet abstract describes a 1993 French outbreak with 38 patients, 31 maternal-neonatal patients and 7 nonpregnant adults; the preliminary case-control result identified a specific rillettes brand, not all pâté products. EFSA tested 13,088 ready-to-eat samples from retail outlets, with pâté included in a broader packaged heat-treated meat group and no separate pâté rate. Ooi et al. used self-reported food intake from gestational weeks 28 to 42 to calculate a score for potential Listeria exposure; the study did not measure confirmed maternal infection or food handling, and did not isolate the risk from an individual pâté product or serving. No breastfeeding-specific exposure or milk-transfer study was identified.
Whether refrigerated and other pâté products are restricted during pregnancy
- Source A says
- CDC and FoodSafety.gov distinguish refrigerated pâté and meat spreads from sealed shelf-stable products; FoodSafety.gov says not to eat refrigerated products. The NHS listeriosis page and meat-in-diet page advise against all types of pâté. (CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection, CDC: How Listeria Spread: Pâté and Cold-Smoked Fish, FoodSafety.gov: People at Risk, Pregnant Women, NHS: Listeriosis, NHS: Meat in your diet)
- Source B says
- The NHS pregnancy food page lists meat and vegetable pâté among foods to keep chilled and eat before the use-by date. (NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy)
- Why they differ
- The NHS pages use different categories and have different review dates. Its listeriosis page and meat-in-diet page advise against all pâté, while its pregnancy food page gives chilled-storage and use-by directions. CDC and FoodSafety.gov identify refrigerated spreads as riskier and sealed shelf-stable products as an alternative, but do not provide a 165°F reheating exception for pâté.
- What the evidence shows overall
- The sources support a Listeria concern for refrigerated ready-to-eat pâté and meat spreads, but they differ on whether chilled storage and a use-by date are enough. The outbreak evidence concerns specific products in one event and does not estimate risk for every product or serving. Sealed shelf-stable products are a distinct category, and liver pâté has a separate vitamin A concern.
- CDC lists pâté or meat spreads in sealed, airtight containers that do not need refrigeration before opening as the alternative to refrigerated products. (CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection)
- FoodSafety.gov says to refrigerate canned, jarred, or sealed-pouch spreads after opening. (FoodSafety.gov: People at Risk, Pregnant Women)
- The CDC chart gives a 165°F or steaming-hot reheating option for deli meats, but lists a shelf-stable alternative for pâté rather than a reheating step. (CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women)
- The NHS pregnancy food page says to keep meat and vegetable pâté chilled and eat it before the use-by date; other NHS pages give different advice. (NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy)
General research, not specific to pregnancy.
CDC lists adults 65 years and older and people with weakened immune systems among groups who may be especially harmed by Listeria infection. The EFSA survey also found Listeria in retail meat samples, but did not report a pâté-specific rate.
- CDC identifies people aged 65 years or older and people with weakened immune systems as groups at higher risk from Listeria infection. (CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection)
- EFSA's 2010-2011 survey included pâté in a broader category of packaged heat-treated meat products and did not report a separate pâté result. (EFSA Journal: EU baseline survey of Listeria in ready-to-eat foods, Part A)
Experiences from moms and non-medical voices. Not medical evidence.
- Moran et al. 2018, Nutrition and listeriosis during pregnancy: a systematic reviewUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- EFSA Journal: EU baseline survey of Listeria in ready-to-eat foods, Part AEU agencyPrimaryPage dated 2013-06-27Independent check
- CDC: Preventing Listeria InfectionUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2025-01-31Independent check
- NHS: Meat in your dietUK governmentSecondaryPage dated 2024-05-01Independent check
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancyUK governmentSecondaryPage dated 2026-06-15Independent check
- FoodSafety.gov: People at Risk, Pregnant WomenSecondaryPage dated 2026-10-05
- CDC: How Listeria Spread: Pâté and Cold-Smoked FishUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2024-08-11Independent check
- Goulet et al., J Infect Dis 1998: Listeriosis outbreak associated with rillettes in FranceUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant WomenUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2025-01-31Independent check
- NHS: ListeriosisUK governmentSecondaryPage dated 2023-11-10Independent check
- Ooi et al. 2026, Associations Between Potential Listeria monocytogenes Exposure During Pregnancy and Infant OutcomesUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- CDC: Maternal Diet and BreastfeedingUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2026-08-25
- CDC: People at Increased Risk for Listeria InfectionUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2025-09-24
Last reviewed 2026-10-18
Independent check 2026-10-18
Not yet clinician-reviewed
Ask your provider about your situation.