Can I eat pesto while pregnant?
Doola Scan's answer in the United StatesPesto isn't on the pregnancy food lists of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Ireland, so Doola Scan shows No known issues for jarred, fresh and homemade basil pesto and pesto pasta. The one question is the cheese. The NHS lists hard cheeses such as parmesan, pasteurised or unpasteurised, among the foods you can have in pregnancy. Other countries are stricter about unpasteurised cheese: the FDA says not to eat any cheese made with raw milk, so pesto made with unpasteurised parmesan shows Avoid in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, and Check in the UK and Canada.
Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · UpdatedJarred basil pesto from the shelf
No known issuesIn all six countriesFresh pesto from the chilled aisle
No known issuesIn all six countriesHomemade pesto with basil, parmesan, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil
No known issuesIn all six countriesPesto pasta
No known issuesIn all six countries
Pesto while pregnant: what each country says.
Each country's own pregnancy guidance on pesto, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.
No known issuesNone of the six countries' pregnancy guidance names pesto.
United States
No known issuesUnited Kingdom
No known issuesPesto made with unpasteurised (raw milk) parmesan- NHSUnpasteurised dairy may contain listeria.Source
Canada
No known issuesAustralia
No known issuesNew Zealand
No known issuesPesto made with unpasteurised (raw milk) parmesan- MPI (NZ Food Safety)Avoid raw milk, raw-milk cheeses and raw-milk yoghurts.Source
Before you eat pesto.
Check the cheese on the label
Pesto ingredients list the cheese, and some labels say whether it is made from pasteurised milk. MyHealthfinder asks you to make sure cheese says pasteurized on the label, and the FDA says not to eat any cheese made with unpasteurized (raw) milk. The NHS lists hard cheeses such as parmesan among the foods you can have, even if unpasteurised. FDA
Heat pesto with unpasteurised cheese until steaming hot, where your country allows it
The CDC says to avoid raw-milk cheese unless it is heated to 165°F or until steaming hot, and Health Canada says cooked cheese is fine. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby in Australia gives no cooked exception for unpasteurised dairy, so in Australia choose pesto made with pasteurised cheese. CDC
Wash basil before you blend it
Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks you to wash fruit, vegetables and herbs to remove soil, because soil can carry toxoplasma. For homemade pesto, rinse the basil leaves under running water first. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby
About pesto
in pregnancy.
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.