Can You Eat Soft Cheese During Pregnancy?

You have the brie in your hand and you have been in that aisle long enough that someone has reached around you twice. Soft cheese has a reputation in pregnancy, and the reputation is mostly a misunderstanding, because softness is not what makes a cheese a question. What happened to the milk before it became cheese is, and that is something you can read off the back of the pack in about two seconds. Which word you are looking for, which cheeses are worth a second glance, and what to do at a party where nothing is labeled are all below.

Pasteurized is the magic word

Pasteurization heats milk to kill harmful bacteria, listeria among them. A cheese made from pasteurized milk has already had that step done to it before it ever reached the shelf, so the listeria risk is very low however soft, ripe or fancy the cheese looks.

The cheeses that come with a warning are the ones made from raw, unpasteurized milk. Listeria can survive there, and it does best in soft, moist, mold-ripened types. That is how softness came to take the blame for something the milk was doing.

Generally fine (if pasteurized)

With a pasteurized label on the pack, all of this is ordinary food again.

• Pasteurized brie, camembert, feta, goat cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, and cottage cheese.
• Cream cheese and processed cheese spreads.
• All hard cheeses (cheddar, parmesan, gouda, manchego), which are considered safe whether pasteurized or not, because they are low in moisture.

Cream cheese is the one that catches people out, because it turns up inside a sushi roll about as often as it does on a bagel. The rest of that menu runs on different reasoning, which our guide to sushi in pregnancy walks through.

Skip unless cooked through

• Soft cheeses made from unpasteurized or raw milk.
• Mold-ripened soft cheeses (brie, camembert) and soft blue cheeses (like Roquefort or gorgonzola) if they are unpasteurized.
• Traditional soft cheeses sold without clear labeling, such as some fresh queso fresco, queso blanco, or panela, which have been linked to listeria outbreaks.

If you are not sure

Two things make any of these safe: choosing a pasteurized version, or cooking the cheese until it is steaming hot all the way through. A baked brie or a cooked cheese sauce is fine.

So a cheese board with no labels on it is not a lost evening. The hard cheeses are safe either way, the baked one has already been cooked for you, and if you want the wedge in the middle, whoever bought it can usually check the wrapper in the recycling. Ask, or eat the cheddar. Both are perfectly good moves.

Listeria is the same concern behind the advice on deli meat in pregnancy, where heating is also the fix.

When to call your provider

If you ate an unpasteurized soft cheese and later developed flu-like symptoms such as fever and muscle aches, contact your provider, since listeria can appear days to weeks later and is treatable. A single bite of pasteurized brie is not cause for worry, but any feverish illness in pregnancy is worth a call.

There is usually one cheese you miss more than all the others. If you have tracked down a pasteurized version of yours, or you are still hunting, the comment box below is the place to say which one.

Medical Disclaimer: This article is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice, and it does not replace guidance from your doctor or midwife. Always confirm what is right for you with a qualified professional. If you think you may be experiencing a medical emergency, contact your local emergency services right away.

Sources

• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Listeria and Pregnancy.”
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Guidance on food safety in pregnancy.
• National Health Service (NHS). “Foods to avoid in pregnancy: cheese.” 2024.