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Can I eat soy sauce while pregnant?

No known issues Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Soy sauce 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 soy sauce, soya sauce, tamari and teriyaki sauce. What the bodies say about soy sauce is about salt: the NHS lists it among sauces high in salt and suggests low salt soy sauce, and the FDA names it as a high-sodium food. If you're dipping sushi, the fish is what counts: sushi with raw fish is Avoid in all six countries.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Soy sauce or soya sauce, light or dark

    No known issuesIn all six countries

  • Tamari

    No known issuesIn all six countries

  • Teriyaki sauce

    No known issuesIn all six countries

  • Soy sauce and vinegar dipping sauce

    No known issuesIn all six countries
Doola Scan checking a plate
What each country says

Soy sauce while pregnant: what each country says.

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

  • No known issues

    None of the six countries' pregnancy guidance names soy sauce.

  • United States

    No known issues
    Sushi with raw fish, often dipped in soy sauce
    • FDAPregnant people should avoid raw fish, partially cooked seafood and refrigerated smoked seafood.Source
    • FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Avoid raw sushi, sashimi and ceviche; cook seafood to 145°F.Source

  • United Kingdom

    No known issues
    Sushi with raw fish, often dipped in soy sauce
    • NHSRaw fish can carry listeria and parasites.Source

  • Canada

    No known issues
    Sushi with raw fish, often dipped in soy sauce
    • CPSAvoid raw fish in pregnancy.Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid raw seafood such as sushi; cook seafood to 74 °C (165 °F).Source

  • Australia

    No known issues
    Sushi with raw fish, often dipped in soy sauce
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Avoid sashimi and sushi.Source
    • FSANZAvoid raw/chilled RTE seafood: oysters, sushi, sashimi, ceviche. PBB: safest sushi is homemade.Source
    • NSW Food AuthorityDo not eat store-bought sushi; home-made without raw fish is OK.Source
    • NSW HealthDo not eat raw seafood.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)No raw or ready-to-eat fish such as sashimi and sushi.Source

  • New Zealand

    No known issues
    Sushi with raw fish, often dipped in soy sauce
    • Health NZUnsafe for pregnant people: raw oysters, sashimi, sushi and other chilled seafood.Source

  • Ireland

    No known issues
    Sushi with raw fish, often dipped in soy sauce
    • HSEAvoid raw or smoked fish, including sushi.Source
What to check

Before you eat soy sauce.

  1. Count soy sauce towards your salt for the day

    The NHS says adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day, about 1 level teaspoon, and lists soy sauce among the sauces that can be high in salt. A splash in a stir-fry and a dish to dip in both add up. NHS

  2. Choose a reduced-sodium bottle and read the label

    The NHS suggests low salt soy sauce, and the FDA suggests light or reduced-sodium versions of condiments. On a US label, 5% Daily Value of sodium or less per serving is low and 20% or more is high. FDA

  3. Dip sushi that has no raw fish

    All six countries advise against raw fish in pregnancy, sushi and sashimi included; the NHS says raw fish can carry listeria and parasites. NSW Food Authority says home-made sushi without raw fish is OK, so choose rolls made with cooked fish or vegetables. NSW Food Authority

Questions

About soy sauce
in pregnancy.

Soy sauce isn't named in the pregnancy guidance of any of these six countries, so Doola Scan shows No known issues. The NHS and the FDA both name it as a salty food, so it counts towards your daily salt.

Soya sauce is the UK name for soy sauce, and the answer is the same: it isn't on the NHS list of foods to avoid in pregnancy, or on the other five countries' lists. The NHS suggests low salt soy sauce to cut down on salt.

No body sets a limit for soy sauce itself. The limits are for salt: the NHS says no more than 6g of salt a day for adults, and the FDA says less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day. The bottle's label shows how much one serving uses.

None of the six countries' guidance recommends soy sauce in pregnancy. Soy foods are a different matter: MyHealthfinder lists soy among the recommended protein foods in pregnancy, and fortified soy milk or yogurt among the dairy options. The sauce isn't on that list.

The soy sauce isn't the issue; the fish is. Sushi with raw fish is Avoid in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. Sushi without raw fish, made with cooked fish or vegetables, is what NSW Food Authority says is OK.

Neither is on any of these six countries' pregnancy food lists, so Doola Scan shows No known issues for a soy and vinegar dipping sauce. The salt advice for soy sauce still applies.

Tamari and teriyaki sauce aren't named in any of these countries' pregnancy guidance either, so Doola Scan shows No known issues. Like soy sauce, check the sodium on the label.

MSG (monosodium glutamate) isn't on the pregnancy food lists of these six countries, so Doola Scan shows No known issues for it.

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

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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.