Can I eat halloumi while pregnant?
Doola Scan's answer in the United StatesHalloumi made from pasteurised milk shows No known issues in Doola Scan in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, grilled, fried or cold. The NHS names halloumi among the pasteurised soft cheeses you can have in pregnancy. What changes it is raw milk: halloumi made from unpasteurised milk shows Avoid in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, and Check in the UK and Canada, where it must be cooked. So the check is the pack, which says whether the milk was pasteurised.
Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · UpdatedGrilled or fried halloumi, served hot
No known issuesIn all six countriesHalloumi from the pack, sliced cold into a salad
No known issuesIn all six countries
Halloumi while pregnant: what each country says.
Each country's own pregnancy guidance on halloumi, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.
No known issuesNone of the six countries' pregnancy guidance names halloumi.
United States
No known issuesHalloumi made from raw (unpasteurised) milk- FDADo not drink raw milk or eat foods made with unpasteurized milk during pregnancy.Source
- FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Avoid raw milk; only pasteurised milk and milk products.Source
- USDA FSISNever drink raw milk.Source
- FDADo not eat any cheese made with unpasteurized (raw) milk; no exception for hard or cooked cheese.Source
- CDCAvoid raw-milk cheese unless heated to 165 F or until steaming hot.Source
United Kingdom
No known issuesCanada
No known issuesHalloumi made from raw (unpasteurised) milk- CPSAvoid unpasteurized milk, cheese and dairy products.Source
- Health CanadaAvoid raw or unpasteurized dairy products; choose pasteurized.Source
- CPSAvoid unpasteurized cheese and dairy products.Source
- Health CanadaAvoid raw or unpasteurized dairy products, including uncooked hard cheese; cooked cheese is fine.Source
Australia
No known issuesHalloumi made from raw (unpasteurised) milk- Better Health Channel (Victoria)Avoid unpasteurised milk and foods made from it.Source
- FSANZAvoid raw milk and raw-milk cheeses; choose pasteurised dairy.Source
- NSW Food AuthorityDo not drink or use unpasteurised (raw) dairy.Source
- NSW HealthDo not eat unpasteurised milk or milk products.Source
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Only dairy made from pasteurised milk.Source
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Only dairy made from pasteurised milk; no cooked unpasteurised exception.Source
- NSW Food AuthoritySoft and semi-soft cheeses only if cooked to at least 75°C.Source
New Zealand
No known issuesIreland
No known issues
Before you eat halloumi.
Check the pack says pasteurised milk
The FDA asks you to make sure all the dairy you eat in pregnancy is made with pasteurised milk, and to check the label. It notes that some cheeses, sold locally on farms or in cheese shops, aren't made with pasteurised milk. FDA
If it's raw milk, cook it or leave it, by country
The NHS asks for foods made from unpasteurised milk to be thoroughly cooked, and Health Canada says any cheese is fine cooked, as in a casserole. Australia's Pregnancy Birth and Baby asks for dairy made from pasteurised milk only. NHS
About halloumi
in pregnancy.
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Point Doola at a plate, a menu or a label. It checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance and shows its sources. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
Download app nowDoola shows what official guidance says; it never diagnoses. No known issues means none of these countries' pregnancy guidance names it, not a promise that a food is safe.