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Can I eat squid while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Cooked squid, grilled, stir-fried or as fried calamari, shows Check in Doola Scan in all six countries: the check is how much fish and seafood you eat in a week. The FDA lists squid among its Best Choices, 2 to 3 servings a week, and Australia's limit for most seafood is 2 to 3 times a week. Canada and New Zealand set no weekly amount for low-mercury seafood. The NHS lists cooked shellfish, squid included, among the foods you can have in pregnancy, and raw squid as sashimi shows Avoid.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Cooked squid, grilled, stir-fried or stewed

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Fried calamari and salt and pepper squid

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Dried squid snacks

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

Squid while pregnant: what each country says.

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

  • Doola has no source from Ireland on this yet; its answer comes from the other countries' guidance.

  • United States

    Check
    • FDAFish is recommended but amounts limit mercury exposure.Source
    Raw squid (ika sashimi)
    • 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

    Check
    • NHSTrying for a baby or pregnant: max 2 oily fish portions (140g) a week; tuna max 4 cans or 2 steaks a week.Source
    Raw squid (ika sashimi)
    • NHSRaw fish can carry listeria and parasites.Source

  • Canada

    Check
    • Health CanadaLow-mercury fish encouraged with no weekly amount; limit only fresh/frozen tuna, shark, swordfish, marlin, orange roughy, escolar.Source
    Raw squid (ika sashimi)
    • CPSAvoid raw fish in pregnancy.Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid raw seafood such as sushi; cook seafood to 74 °C (165 °F).Source

  • Australia

    Check
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Other fish or seafood no more than 2 to 3 times a week (150 g serve).Source
    Raw squid (ika sashimi)
    • 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

    Check
    • Health NZMost commonly eaten NZ fish can be eaten freely; low-mercury species need no restriction.Source
    Raw squid (ika sashimi)
    • Health NZUnsafe for pregnant people: raw oysters, sashimi, sushi and other chilled seafood.Source

  • Ireland

    Check
    Raw squid (ika sashimi)
    • HSEAvoid raw or smoked fish, including sushi.Source
What to check

Before you eat squid.

  1. Count squid in your weekly fish

    The FDA asks pregnant women to eat 2 to 3 servings a week from its Best Choices list, and squid is on it. A serving is 4 ounces, about the size of your palm. In Australia, Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says most fish and seafood no more than 2 to 3 times a week. FDA

  2. Cook it through and eat it hot

    Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks for fish and seafood cooked to at least 63°C and eaten straight away. A plate of calamari left out at a party no longer meets that. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

  3. Skip raw squid

    The NHS lists raw fish and raw shellfish as foods to avoid in pregnancy, and cooked shellfish, squid included, as foods to eat. Squid served raw as sashimi shows Avoid in Doola Scan in all six countries. NHS

Questions

About squid
in pregnancy.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. Cooked squid shows Check from the first weeks to the third trimester, for the same weekly fish amount.

The FDA lists squid among its Best Choices for pregnancy and says fish supply protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D and selenium, and nutrients that support a baby's brain development. It suggests 2 to 3 servings a week from that list.

The FDA puts squid on its Best Choices list, its lower-mercury group. Health Canada encourages low-mercury fish with no weekly amount and limits only fresh or frozen tuna, shark, swordfish, marlin, orange roughy and escolar.

Fried calamari and salt and pepper squid show Check in all six countries, like other cooked squid. Eat it hot, soon after frying. The NHS notes that fatty foods are high in calories and suggests eating them less often.

Squid sashimi shows Avoid in Doola Scan in all six countries. The NHS lists raw fish and raw shellfish as foods to avoid in pregnancy.

Dried squid shows Check in all six countries, the same as cooked squid. Count it with the rest of your fish and seafood for the week.

Pusit is squid. Cooked, including adobong pusit stewed in vinegar and soy sauce, it shows Check in all six countries, for the weekly fish amount. Raw squid shows Avoid.

In the US, the FDA's Best Choices, squid included, are 2 to 3 servings a week of 4 ounces each. Australia says most fish and seafood no more than 2 to 3 times a week. Health Canada and Health NZ set no weekly amount for low-mercury seafood.

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

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.

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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.