FoodtopsyFrançais
Menu

Infant botulism

In the body: Spores can grow in a baby’s gut and release a toxin that weakens the muscles.

Not rated by dose: a flag on one reviewed food, Honey.

Pregnancy, babies and young children. Stricter agency advice for these stages of life. Gram figures elsewhere on this site count a 70 kg adult, unadjusted for pregnancy, babies or young children; the advice here is the agency’s own for them.

All hazards

The reference value and where it comes from

  • The agency’s figureno agency dose value
  • Basisagency advice: no honey of any kind for infants under one year (Clostridium botulinum spores in pasteurized and unpasteurized honey; infant botulism)
  • Average adult intake Health Canada: 42 reported cases of infant botulism in Canada, 3 linked to honey
  • Applies toinfants under 1 year
  • Source Health Canada, Infant botulism

Reviewed foods that carry it

1 reviewed food carries it; none is rated by dose.

How often you can eat it

No food here is rated by dose. Each line says why it’s listed: a flag for the people the source names, advice on handling it, or context.

Flags and context, not rated by dose

  • Honey

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, Infant botulism · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Health Canada: do not give any type of honey (pasteurized or not) to a baby under one year. Honey is the only food linked to infant botulism in Canada; 3 of the 42 reported Canadian cases were linked to honey. This is a flag for infants, not a dose.

    Intake: not applicable (flag)

    Measured on: life-stage advice: infants under one year

Sources