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Can I eat feta while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Feta shows Check in Doola Scan in the US, where USDA asks for soft cheeses made with pasteurised milk and the FDA says soft cheese from raw milk can carry listeria. Pasteurised feta is on the NHS list of soft cheeses you can have in pregnancy, but Canada, Australia and New Zealand ask for feta to be cooked. Cold feta shows Check in the UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland, and Avoid in New Zealand, where Health NZ names feta among soft cheeses to avoid. Baked until steaming hot, it shows Check in all six.

Check any food in Doola Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Cold feta, crumbled on a salad or from the pack

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaAustraliaIrelandAvoidNew Zealand

  • Whipped feta dip

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaAustraliaIrelandAvoidNew Zealand

  • Baked feta, in pasta, spanakopita or a tray bake, heated until steaming hot

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

Can you eat feta while pregnant? What each country says.

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

  • United States

    Check
    • CDCAvoid unheated queso fresco-type cheeses (queso fresco, queso blanco, requesón) even when made with pasteurized milk; heat to 165°F.Source
    • FDASoft cheese from raw milk can carry listeria.Source
    • FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Pasteurised; queso fresco-type fresh soft cheeses only when heated to 165°F, even if pasteurised.Source
    • USDA FSISAvoid soft cheeses not made with pasteurised milk.Source
    Feta made from raw (unpasteurised) milk
    • FDADo not drink raw milk or eat foods made with unpasteurized milk during pregnancy.Source
    • FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Avoid raw milk; only pasteurised milk and milk products.Source
    • USDA FSISNever drink raw milk.Source
    • FDADo not eat any cheese made with unpasteurized (raw) milk; no exception for hard or cooked cheese.Source
    • CDCAvoid raw-milk cheese unless heated to 165 F or until steaming hot.Source

  • United Kingdom

    Check
    • NHSPasteurised soft cheeses such as mozzarella, feta, paneer, ricotta, burrata are safe.Source
    Feta made from raw (unpasteurised) milk
    • FSAPregnant women should not consume raw drinking milk or cream.Source
    • NHSRaw milk can carry listeria and other harmful bacteria.Source
    • NHSUnpasteurised dairy may contain listeria.Source

  • Canada

    Check
    • CPSAvoid soft cheeses like Brie or Camembert, even if pasteurized.Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid uncooked soft, semi-soft and blue cheese even if pasteurized; fine cooked.Source
    Feta made from raw (unpasteurised) milk
    • CPSAvoid unpasteurized milk, cheese and dairy products.Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid raw or unpasteurized dairy products; choose pasteurized.Source
    • CPSAvoid unpasteurized cheese and dairy products.Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid raw or unpasteurized dairy products, including uncooked hard cheese; cooked cheese is fine.Source

  • Australia

    Check
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Soft cheeses only if served cooked and hot.Source
    • FSANZAvoid soft, semi-soft and surface-ripened cheese incl. brie, camembert, mozzarella, ricotta, feta, blue - unless baked to 75 °C.Source
    • NSW Food AuthoritySoft and semi-soft cheeses only if cooked to at least 75°C and eaten soon after.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)No soft cheeses (brie, camembert, blue, ricotta, feta) unless cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away.Source
    Feta made from raw (unpasteurised) milk
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Avoid unpasteurised milk and foods made from it.Source
    • FSANZAvoid raw milk and raw-milk cheeses; choose pasteurised dairy.Source
    • NSW Food AuthorityDo not drink or use unpasteurised (raw) dairy.Source
    • NSW HealthDo not eat unpasteurised milk or milk products.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Only dairy made from pasteurised milk.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Only dairy made from pasteurised milk; no cooked unpasteurised exception.Source
    • NSW Food AuthoritySoft and semi-soft cheeses only if cooked to at least 75°C.Source

  • New Zealand

    • Cold feta, crumbled on a salad or from the packAvoid
    • Whipped feta dipAvoid
    • Baked feta, in pasta, spanakopita or a tray bake, heated until steaming hotCheck
    • Health NZAvoid soft, semi-soft and surface-ripened cheeses such as brie, camembert, ricotta, blue and feta.Source
    Feta made from raw (unpasteurised) milk
    • Health NZAvoid unpasteurised dairy products.Source
    • MPI (NZ Food Safety)Avoid raw milk, raw-milk cheeses and raw-milk yoghurts.Source

  • Ireland

    Check
    • HSESoft cheeses such as brie and camembert only if cooked until steaming hot.Source
    Feta made from raw (unpasteurised) milk
    • HSEAvoid unpasteurised dairy (milk and cheese).Source
    • FSAIDo not drink raw milk without boiling it first.Source
What to check

Before you eat feta.

  1. Check the label says pasteurised milk

    The FDA lists soft cheeses such as feta among foods not to eat in pregnancy unless they're made with pasteurized milk. The NHS lists pasteurised feta among soft cheeses you can have. FDA

  2. In Canada, cook it even if it's pasteurised

    Health Canada lists uncooked brie, camembert and feta among cheeses to avoid even when made from pasteurized milk. It says any cheese is fine cooked, as in a casserole. Health Canada

  3. In Australia and New Zealand, bake it to 75°C

    FSANZ advises against soft cheeses including feta unless baked to 75°C. Health NZ names feta among soft cheeses to avoid, and Pregnancy Birth and Baby asks for feta cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away. FSANZ

Questions

About feta
in pregnancy.

Some is and some isn't, so read the pack. The FDA asks for feta to be made with pasteurized milk, and the NHS accepts pasteurised feta.

Check each pack's label. The NHS lists pasteurised feta among the soft cheeses you can have in pregnancy, and asks for anything made from unpasteurised milk to be thoroughly cooked.

Feta baked until steaming hot shows Check in all six countries. Australia's Pregnancy Birth and Baby asks for at least 75°C and for it to be eaten straight away.

Whipped feta is cold feta, so it follows the cold-feta lines: Check in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland and Avoid in New Zealand. Canada and Australia ask for feta to be cooked.

Ireland's HSE asks for soft cheeses to be eaten only if cooked until steaming hot. Doola Scan shows Check for feta in Ireland.

Doola Scan shows Avoid for raw-milk feta in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, and Check in the UK and Canada, where it must be cooked until steaming hot.

The NHS says dairy foods such as cheese are important in pregnancy, because they contain calcium and other nutrients you and your baby need.

Yes. Take a photo of the label or the menu, and Doola Scan checks it against your country's pregnancy guidance. 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.