BATON ROUGE — Planning a picnic is no walk in the park for those who are pregnant. That's because many foods associated with summertime carry an increased risk of listeria.

"Listeria is a type of bacteria that is usually transmitted through food and food products. It is especially a concern if you're pregnant, if you're elderly or if you have a weakened immune system for some reason," pediatric infectious disease doctor Nipunie Rajapakse said.

Listeria is a concern for pregnant people because of the risk of transmitting the infection to the unborn baby.

"It can have really severe outcomes for babies, including risk of stillbirth or death," Rajapakse said.

Deli meats, hot dogs, and even soft-serve ice cream are foods typically associated with listeria.

However, even foods that might be considered healthy for expecting mothers can carry a listeria risk.

"I looked back at the last few years of listeria outbreaks, and some of the more recent ones were related to bagged salads or packaged salads," Rajapakse said.

With such a wide variety of different foods that can become contaminated with listeria, how can you keep yourself and your baby safe?

When it comes to deli meats and hot dogs, make sure they are cooked to 165 degrees F. Fruits and vegetables should be washed well. And keep an eye out for reported outbreaks linked to certain foods.