Pasteurized Honey

Safety Status: Safe to Consume

Commercially pasteurized honey is entirely safe to consume during pregnancy.

Unlike raw honey—which is unprocessed—pasteurized honey undergoes heat processing. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirm that pasteurized honey is a secure ingredient for maternal diets, offering a safe sweetener option during pregnancy.

The Pasteurization Process and Pathogen Control

To make commercial honey, packers heat the liquid:

• Heat Treatment: Honey is heated to approximately 160°F (71°C), followed by rapid cooling.
• Destruction of Yeasts: The primary reason packers pasteurize honey is to destroy wild yeasts (Saccharomyces). These yeasts can ferment honey over time, especially if the moisture content is high.
• Preventing Crystallization: Heating dissolves any sugar crystals present in the liquid, keeping the honey smooth, clear, and easy to pour for longer periods.
• Spores: While pasteurization is highly effective at killing yeast and bacteria, it may not destroy all spores of Clostridium botulinum. However, as with raw honey, a pregnant individual’s mature stomach acidity and gut microbiome easily destroy these spores, preventing any risk to the fetus.

Health Benefits and Diet Cautions

Pasteurized honey serves several useful purposes in a prenatal diet:

• Natural Cough Suppressant: Honey is a clinically proven natural demulcent. Mixing pasteurized honey with warm water, fresh lemon, or decaf chamomile tea can soothe a cough and coat an irritated throat. This is a helpful alternative since many over-the-counter cough syrups are restricted during pregnancy.
• Energy Source: Provides a quick, easily digestible source of carbohydrates.

However, honey is a concentrated source of sugars (fructose and glucose):

• Gestational Diabetes: If you have gestational diabetes, honey will cause a rapid spike in blood glucose levels. Use it sparingly and monitor your portion sizes.
• Infant Warning: Although pasteurized honey is safe for you, never feed honey of any kind to a baby under one year of age. The baby’s immature digestive system cannot defend against botulism spores, which can lead to infant botulism.