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Can I eat seaweed while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Seaweed, from nori sheets to seaweed salad and kelp, shows Check in Doola Scan in all six countries, because of its iodine. FSANZ says brown seaweed can contain very high and variable levels of iodine, and FSANZ and Health NZ ask pregnant women to eat brown seaweed, such as kelp, kombu and wakame, no more than once a week. Health NZ's limit is for brown seaweed, not nori. Hijiki is a separate case: the UK's FSA advises not eating it at all and Canada's CFIA says to avoid it, for inorganic arsenic.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Nori sheets and seaweed snacks

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Seaweed salad (wakame)

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Kelp and kombu, in broth or as a side

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Seaweed soup (miyeok-guk)

    CheckIn all six countries
Doola Scan checking a plate
What each country says

Seaweed while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on seaweed, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.

  • Doola has no source from the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland on this yet; their answer comes from the other countries' guidance.

  • United States

    Check
    • MotherToBabyVery high iodine from diet alone is unlikely unless high-iodine foods such as seaweed are eaten very often.Source
    • MotherToBabyPregnancy: very high iodine from diet is unlikely unless high-iodine foods like seaweed are eaten very often. Breastfeeding: avoid more than 500-1100 mcg iodine a day for long periods.Source

  • United Kingdom

    Check
    Hijiki seaweed
    • FSAFSA advises people not to eat hijiki seaweed at all.Source
    • FSAFSA advises people not to eat hijiki seaweed (high inorganic arsenic).Source

  • Canada

    Check
    Hijiki seaweed
    • CFIAAvoid hijiki seaweed (inorganic arsenic); soaking not offered as an option.Source
    • CFIAHijiki has far higher inorganic arsenic than other seaweeds.Source

  • Australia

    Check
    • FSANZNo more than one serve a week of brown seaweed.Source
    • FSANZBrown seaweed can contain very high and variable levels of iodine.Source
    • FSANZPregnant and breastfeeding women and children: no more than one serve a week of brown seaweed.Source
    Hijiki seaweed
    • FSANZPeople who regularly eat a lot of hijiki should be aware of a higher potential risk; no preparation advice.Source
    • FSANZPeople who regularly eat a lot of hijiki should be aware of a higher potential risk; no avoid advice.Source

  • New Zealand

    Check
    • Health NZBrown seaweed limited to 1 serve a week; nori and other red/green seaweed OK; no label criterion.Source
    • Health NZBrown seaweed (kelp, kombu, wakame, hijiki etc) no more than once a week in pregnancy.Source
    • Health NZBrown seaweed such as kelp no more than once a week in pregnancy.Source
    Hijiki seaweed
    • Health NZHijiki limited to 1 serve a week as a brown seaweed (iodine); no soaking advice.Source
    • Health NZHijiki is treated as brown seaweed (iodine): limit to 1 serve a week in pregnancy; arsenic not mentioned.Source

  • Ireland

    Check
    Hijiki seaweed
    • FSAILimit hijiki or choose other seaweeds.Source
    • FSAILimit consumption of hijiki seaweed or choose other seaweeds (high inorganic arsenic).Source
What to check

Before you eat seaweed.

  1. Keep brown seaweed to once a week

    FSANZ asks pregnant and breastfeeding women to have no more than one serve a week of brown seaweed. Health NZ gives the same limit and names kelp, kombu, wakame and hijiki. FSANZ

  2. Have seaweed now and then, not every day

    FSANZ found some seaweeds, kombu in particular, with iodine levels that can be unsafe for vulnerable groups such as pregnant women. MotherToBaby says very high iodine from food alone is unlikely unless high-iodine foods such as seaweed are eaten very often. FSANZ

  3. Skip hijiki

    Canada's CFIA says hijiki has far higher inorganic arsenic than other seaweeds and advises avoiding it, and the UK's FSA advises people not to eat it at all. Ireland's FSAI asks you to limit it or choose other seaweeds. CFIA

Questions

About seaweed
in pregnancy.

Nori and roasted seaweed snacks show Check in all six countries, for iodine. Health NZ's once-a-week limit is for brown seaweed, not nori, and FSANZ's limit is also for brown seaweed.

Seaweed salad shows Check in all six countries. If it is made with wakame, Health NZ names wakame among the brown seaweeds to have no more than once a week in pregnancy.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. Seaweed shows Check from the first weeks on, and the once-a-week limit on brown seaweed in Australia and New Zealand applies all through pregnancy.

None of these countries' pregnancy food lists recommends seaweed. The NHS names cows' milk and dairy, eggs, sea fish and shellfish as sources of iodine, and FSANZ warns that some seaweeds, kombu in particular, can carry very high levels.

Hijiki shows Avoid in the UK and Canada, and Check in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. The concern is inorganic arsenic: CFIA says hijiki has far higher levels than other seaweeds, and FSANZ found one hijiki sample above its limit.

None of these countries' pregnancy food lists names lato. Health NZ's once-a-week limit is for brown seaweeds such as kelp, kombu, wakame and hijiki.

Seaweed (alga) shows Check in Doola Scan in all six countries, for iodine. Australia and New Zealand ask for brown seaweed, such as kelp and wakame, no more than once a week, and the UK and Canada advise against hijiki.

Yes. Take a photo of the pack's label or the plate, and Doola Scan checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
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Doola 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.