Is Milk (pasteurised / boiled) safe during pregnancy?
Milk, cheese & dairy Also called Gai ka doodh (Hindi); Doodh (garu) (Bengali); Pasumpaal (Tamil); Aavu paalu (Telugu); Doodh (gay) (Marathi); Hasuvina halu (Kannada); Gai nu dhudh (Gujarati); Bhains ka dhood (Hindi); Dudha (Mosher) (Bengali); Erumaipal (Tamil); Gedha/Barre palu (Telugu); Doodh (Maish) (Marathi); Kerbau paal (Malayalam); Uemma halu (Kannada); Bhes nu dhudh (Gujarati).
Safe when pasteurised
The NHS, US CDC and US FDA say pasteurised milk is safe in pregnancy; ICMR-NIN lists milk in its pregnancy food groups.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
What official sources say
NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy
- Cheese, milk and other dairy › Safe to eat: Pasteurised milk, butter, yoghurt, cream and ice cream, from cows, sheep or goats, are safe in pregnancy.[1]
US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women
- Safer Choice:
Pasteurized milk and dairy products made from pasteurized milk
[2]
US CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection
- Choose these instead:
Pasteurized milk, yogurt, and ice cream
(advice for vulnerable people, including pregnant women)[3]
US FDA: Ready-to-Eat Foods (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
- It's okay to eat:
Pasteurized milk or foods that contain pasteurized milk.
[4]
NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy
- Dairy foods such as milk, cheese, fromage frais and yoghurt matter in pregnancy because they provide calcium and other nutrients that you and your baby need.[5]
ICMR-NIN: Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024
FSANZ: Food safety for vulnerable people
- Safer alternatives:
Pasteurised dairy products
(advice for vulnerable people, including pregnant women)[7]
Related general rules
ICMR-NIN: Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024
- Because milk can easily become contaminated, use pasteurised or boiled milk to keep it safe. (p. 90) (general-population advice, not specific to pregnancy)[6]
Nutrition per 100 g (USDA)
| Energy | 60 kcal |
| Protein | 3.27 g |
| Sugars | 4.81 g |
| Iron | 0 mg |
| Calcium | 123 mg |
| Folate, total | 0 µg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 32 µg |
| Vitamin D | 0.96 µg |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.54 µg |
| Choline | 17.8 mg |
| Iodine | 37.9 µg |
| DHA (omega-3) | 0 g |
| EPA (omega-3) | 0.001 g |
| Sodium | 38 mg |
USDA FoodData Central: Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D (FDC ID 746782), per 100 g. Public domain. Values describe that USDA record; composition varies with variety and preparation.
Sources
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
- US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women · cdc.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- US CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection · cdc.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- US FDA: Ready-to-Eat Foods (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be) · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
- ICMR-NIN: Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024 · nin.res.in. Printed pages 15, 16, 90. Paraphrased and cited by printed page; the text is not reproduced.
- FSANZ: Food safety for vulnerable people · foodstandards.gov.au. © Food Standards Australia New Zealand, licensed under CC BY 4.0; quoted. No endorsement implied.
Sources checked 26 September 2026.
Quotes are checked word for word against each source page, and paraphrases against the original text. Official bodies are named as sources only: none of them reviewed or endorses this page.
Educational information, not medical advice. Your own doctor or midwife may advise differently for you — follow their advice.