--- title: Consumer Reports Says Pregnant Women Should 'Avoid All Tuna' description: Consumer Reports analyzed mercury levels in fish and suggests pregnant women should avoid eating all tuna canonical: https://time.com/3154113/pregnant-tuna/ author: Laura Stampler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-21T15:42:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:02:28.273Z article:section: Health og:title: Consumer Reports says pregnant women should "avoid all tuna" og:description: A new report analyzes the mercury levels in fish og:url: https://time.com/3154113/pregnant-tuna/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a8e1fd156eab316/6986a05a1eebf70fb937254a/51163470.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Standards For "Dolphin-Safe" Tuna Label Upheld In Federal Court og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Consumer Reports says pregnant women should "avoid all tuna" twitter:description: A new report analyzes the mercury levels in fish twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a8e1fd156eab316/6986a05a1eebf70fb937254a/51163470.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Consumer Reports Says Pregnant Women Should 'Avoid All Tuna' > Sponsored content. 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Just after Robert Edwards won the Nobel Prize for his In Vitro Fertilization work, a new study said careful video observation of the fertilization process improves chances for a successful pregnancy_ by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Aug 21, 2014 3:42 PM UTC  Cans of tuna are seen on a shelf August 12, 2004 in a grocery store in Des Plaines, Illinois. Cans of tuna are seen on a shelf August 12, 2004 in a grocery store in Des Plaines, Illinois. Tim Boyle—Getty Images by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Aug 21, 2014 3:42 PM UTC In a new analysis of government data on mercury levels in fish, [_Consumer Reports_](http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2014/10/can-eating-the-wrong-fish-put-you-at-higher-risk-for-mercury-exposure/index.htm)suggests that pregnant women should “avoid all tuna” — particularly if it comes in a can. Earlier this summer, the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration [suggested](http://www.fda.gov/food/foodborneillnesscontaminants/metals/ucm393070.htm) that women who are pregnant, want to get pregnant, or are breast feeding should eat up to 12 ounces of fish a week. While fish can be a good source of protein and provider of nutrients, _Consumer Reports_ released an article Thursday warning vigilance given the high mercury level in many fish, including tuna. “We’re particularly concerned about canned tuna, which is second only to shrimp as the most commonly eaten seafood in the United States,” said Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives for Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, in a statement. “We encourage pregnant women to avoid all tuna.” While _Consumer Reports_ identified 20 seafoods that can be eaten safely several times a week, the report reads: --- > “” --- The federal agencies and _Consumer Reports_ agree that childbearing women and small children should avoid swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and tilefish due to mercury levels. \[[_Consumer Reports_](http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2014/10/can-eating-the-wrong-fish-put-you-at-higher-risk-for-mercury-exposure/index.htm)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3154113/pregnant-tuna/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3154113/pregnant-tuna/"},"headline":"Consumer Reports Says Pregnant Women Should 'Avoid All Tuna'","datePublished":"2014-08-21T15:42:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:02:28.273Z","description":"A new report analyzes the mercury levels in fish","url":"https://time.com/3154113/pregnant-tuna/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","Living","diet","health","Pregnant","mercury","fish","Tuna"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a8e1fd156eab316/6986a05a1eebf70fb937254a/51163470.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a8e1fd156eab316/6986a05a1eebf70fb937254a/51163470.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Standards For \"Dolphin-Safe\" Tuna Label Upheld In Federal Court","caption":"Standards For \"Dolphin-Safe\" Tuna Label Upheld In Federal Court","creditText":"Tim Boyle—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3154113/pregnant-tuna/","name":"Consumer Reports Says Pregnant Women Should 'Avoid All Tuna'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Filming Embryos Improves Chances of Pregnancy","description":"Just after Robert Edwards won the Nobel Prize for his In Vitro Fertilization work, a new study said careful video observation of the fertilization process improves chances for a successful pregnancy","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1HDjrg7H/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2010-10-08T20:58:46.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1HDjrg7H.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3154113/pregnant-tuna/","duration":"PT3M41S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3154113/pregnant-tuna/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```