Is halloumi safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about halloumi during pregnancy?

1. Hard and semi-hard cheeses are drier and hold less water than soft cheeses, which leaves bacteria less room to multiply and is why they sit lower on pregnancy caution lists. 1
2. Heating food until it is steaming, at least 165°F or 74°C, kills listeria, which is the state most people already eat halloumi in without thinking about it. 2
3. Controlled heating experiments on fresh cheese found that holding the curd at 65°C for a sustained period left neither salmonella nor listeria recoverable from a 25 gram sample. 3
4. Pasteurized cheese is not considered to raise risks when eaten during pregnancy or breastfeeding, since the heat step has already removed the pathogens of concern. 1
5. Cheese sits alongside milk and yogurt as a main dietary calcium source, and pregnancy calls for 1,000 mg daily for adults or 1,300 mg for teens. 4

Is halloumi safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Halloumi is salty and savory, which is often exactly what appeals when sweet food has stopped working. Cooking it until it squeaks and browns takes it well past the point where any bacteria would survive.
• Second trimester. If you are eating less meat this pregnancy, grilled halloumi is a practical protein and calcium swap. The one version to ask about is loose halloumi from a Middle Eastern or Cypriot grocer, which may be traditionally made.
• Third trimester. Nothing about halloumi changes late in pregnancy. If swelling or blood pressure has come up at your visits, mention how often you eat it, since halloumi is a notably salty cheese and your clinician may have a view.