Can I eat olives while pregnant?
Doola Scan's answer in the United StatesOlives aren't on the pregnancy food lists of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Ireland, so Doola Scan shows No known issues for green, black and stuffed olives from a jar or can. The NHS lists olives among the salty foods to eat less often or in small amounts. What can change the answer is what comes with them: feta, often served with olives or stuffed into them, is Check in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland, and Avoid in New Zealand.
Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · UpdatedOlives from a jar or can, black or kalamata
No known issuesIn all six countriesGreen olives
No known issuesIn all six countriesStuffed olives, with pimento, garlic or almond
No known issuesIn all six countries
Olives while pregnant: what each country says.
Each country's own pregnancy guidance on olives, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.
No known issuesNone of the six countries' pregnancy guidance names olives.
United States
No known issuesFeta served with olives or stuffed into them- CDCAvoid unheated queso fresco-type cheeses (queso fresco, queso blanco, requesón) even when made with pasteurized milk; heat to 165°F.Source
- FDASoft cheese from raw milk can carry listeria.Source
- FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Pasteurised; queso fresco-type fresh soft cheeses only when heated to 165°F, even if pasteurised.Source
- USDA FSISAvoid soft cheeses not made with pasteurised milk.Source
United Kingdom
No known issuesFeta served with olives or stuffed into them- NHSPasteurised soft cheeses such as mozzarella, feta, paneer, ricotta, burrata are safe.Source
Canada
No known issuesAustralia
No known issuesFeta served with olives or stuffed into them- Better Health Channel (Victoria)Soft cheeses only if served cooked and hot.Source
- FSANZAvoid soft, semi-soft and surface-ripened cheese incl. brie, camembert, mozzarella, ricotta, feta, blue - unless baked to 75 °C.Source
- NSW Food AuthoritySoft and semi-soft cheeses only if cooked to at least 75°C and eaten soon after.Source
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)No soft cheeses (brie, camembert, blue, ricotta, feta) unless cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away.Source
New Zealand
No known issuesFeta served with olives or stuffed into them- Health NZAvoid soft, semi-soft and surface-ripened cheeses such as brie, camembert, ricotta, blue and feta.Source
Ireland
No known issuesFeta served with olives or stuffed into them- HSESoft cheeses such as brie and camembert only if cooked until steaming hot.Source
Before you eat olives.
Check that feta with your olives is pasteurised
In the US, the FDA asks for soft cheese clearly labelled made from pasteurized milk, because soft cheese from raw milk can carry listeria. The NHS also lists pasteurised feta among the soft cheeses you can eat in pregnancy. FDA
In Australia and New Zealand, leave cold feta out
FSANZ advises against soft and semi-soft cheeses, feta included, unless they're baked to 75°C. Health NZ advises avoiding feta in pregnancy. Olives on their own are No known issues in both countries. FSANZ
Keep olives to a small handful
The NHS names olives, with pickles, cheese and cured meats, among salty foods to eat less often or in small amounts. It says adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day. NHS
Jarred olives are simpler than the olive bar
An intact, in-date jar or can stored as directed is the easiest olive to judge. At a self-serve olive bar or party bowl, you may not know how long the olives sat out or whether the utensils stayed clean. The CDC puts extra attention in pregnancy on foods where refrigeration and handling are unclear, so choose olives that are clearly chilled and skip warm bowls. CDC
Skip a damaged jar, and chill olives once opened
Skip jars or cans that are leaking, bulging, cracked, moldy, fizzy or smell wrong. Once opened, cover the olives, refrigerate them if the label says to, and serve them with a clean spoon rather than fingers or a spoon that touched other foods. FDA
About olives
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.