Can I eat honey while pregnant?
No known issues
Doola Scan's answer in the United States
Doola Scan's answer in the United StatesHoney, including raw and manuka honey, isn't on the pregnancy food lists of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Ireland, so Doola Scan shows No known issues in all six. The honey warning people often hear is for babies: the CDC says not to feed honey to a child younger than 1, because it can carry the bacteria that cause botulism. None of these countries' pregnancy food lists names raw or unpasteurised honey.
Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · UpdatedShop-bought honey, runny or set
No known issuesIn all six countriesRaw or unpasteurised honey, from markets or local beekeepers
No known issuesIn all six countriesManuka honey
No known issuesIn all six countries
What each country says
Honey while pregnant: what each country says.
Each country's own pregnancy guidance on honey, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.
No known issuesNone of the six countries' pregnancy guidance names honey.
QuestionsAbout honey
About honey
in pregnancy.
Raw honey shows No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries, the same as shop-bought honey. None of these countries' pregnancy food lists names raw or unpasteurised honey. The CDC's honey warning is about babies under 1, not about pregnancy.
The warning is for babies. The CDC says honey can contain the bacteria that cause botulism, and not to feed honey, or products made with it such as honey pacifiers, to a child younger than 1 year.
Manuka honey shows No known issues in all six countries. If you're taking manuka or another honey product as a remedy, ask your midwife, doctor or pharmacist, as you would for any supplement.
None of these countries sets a pregnancy limit for honey. The NHS counts the sugar in honey as free sugar, and says adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day.
None of these six countries' pregnancy guidance names honey as good for pregnancy. The NHS counts honey with the free sugars that adults should keep to 30g a day or less.
The guidance is the same in every trimester: honey isn't on the pregnancy food lists of any of the six countries.
The CDC says not to feed honey to a child who is younger than 1 year old, because of infant botulism.
Yes. Take a photo of the label or the plate, and Doola Scan checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
Not sure about a meal? Scan it.
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.