Can I eat mozzarella while pregnant?
Check
Doola Scan's answer in the United States
Doola Scan's answer in the United StatesShredded or block mozzarella shows No known issues in all six countries, while fresh mozzarella shows Check in five and Avoid in New Zealand when eaten cold. The NHS lists pasteurised mozzarella among the soft cheeses you can have in pregnancy, and the US asks for a pasteurised-milk label. FSANZ and Health NZ name mozzarella, without saying which kind, among soft cheeses to eat only cooked, and Health Canada asks for soft cheese to be cooked. Melted until steaming hot, on pizza or lasagna, fresh mozzarella shows Check in all six. Mozzarella made from raw milk shows Avoid in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.
Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · UpdatedShredded or block mozzarella (low-moisture), cold or on a sandwich
No known issuesIn all six countriesFresh mozzarella or buffalo mozzarella, cold in a caprese salad
Check
Avoid
Melted until steaming hot, on pizza, lasagna or baked pasta
CheckIn all six countries
What each country says
Mozzarella while pregnant: what each country says.
Each country's own pregnancy guidance on mozzarella, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.
United States
- Shredded or block mozzarella (low-moisture), cold or on a sandwichNo known issues
- Fresh mozzarella or buffalo mozzarella, cold in a caprese saladCheck
- Melted until steaming hot, on pizza, lasagna or baked pastaCheck
- 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
Mozzarella 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
- Shredded or block mozzarella (low-moisture), cold or on a sandwichNo known issues
- Fresh mozzarella or buffalo mozzarella, cold in a caprese saladCheck
- Melted until steaming hot, on pizza, lasagna or baked pastaCheck
- NHSPasteurised soft cheeses such as mozzarella, feta, paneer, ricotta, burrata are safe.Source
Canada
- Shredded or block mozzarella (low-moisture), cold or on a sandwichNo known issues
- Fresh mozzarella or buffalo mozzarella, cold in a caprese saladCheck
- Melted until steaming hot, on pizza, lasagna or baked pastaCheck
- 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
Mozzarella 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
- Shredded or block mozzarella (low-moisture), cold or on a sandwichNo known issues
- Fresh mozzarella or buffalo mozzarella, cold in a caprese saladCheck
- Melted until steaming hot, on pizza, lasagna or baked pastaCheck
- 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
Mozzarella 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
- Shredded or block mozzarella (low-moisture), cold or on a sandwichNo known issues
- Fresh mozzarella or buffalo mozzarella, cold in a caprese saladAvoid
- Melted until steaming hot, on pizza, lasagna or baked pastaCheck
- Health NZAvoid soft, semi-soft and surface-ripened cheeses such as brie, camembert, ricotta, blue and feta.Source
Ireland
- Shredded or block mozzarella (low-moisture), cold or on a sandwichNo known issues
- Fresh mozzarella or buffalo mozzarella, cold in a caprese saladCheck
- Melted until steaming hot, on pizza, lasagna or baked pastaCheck
- HSESoft cheeses such as brie and camembert only if cooked until steaming hot.Source
What to check
Before you eat mozzarella.
Check the label says pasteurised
The FDA asks for soft cheese to be clearly labelled made from pasteurized milk, and to check the label on all dairy. The NHS says most dairy products you buy in supermarkets are pasteurised. FDA
In Australia or New Zealand, eat it cooked
FSANZ names mozzarella among soft and semi-soft cheeses to avoid unless baked to 75°C. Health NZ's pregnancy guide says not to eat soft pasteurised cheeses such as mozzarella unless cooked. FSANZ
In Canada, heat fresh mozzarella until hot
Health Canada asks pregnant people to avoid uncooked soft and semi-soft cheese, even when it's pasteurised, It says the cheese just needs to be cooked, like in a casserole, broiled until hot, bubbly and browned on top. Health Canada
Eat melted mozzarella hot, soon after cooking
The NSW Food Authority asks for soft cheeses cooked to at least 75°C to be eaten soon after. Ireland's HSE asks for soft cheeses to be eaten only if cooked until steaming hot. NSW Food Authority
QuestionsAbout mozzarella
About mozzarella
in pregnancy.
Read the label. The NHS says most dairy products you buy in supermarkets are pasteurised, and the FDA asks you to check the label of every dairy product for pasteurised milk.
Fresh mozzarella shows Check in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland, and Avoid in New Zealand when cold. The US and UK ask for pasteurised milk; Canada, Australia and New Zealand ask for soft cheese to be cooked until hot.
Melted until steaming hot, fresh mozzarella shows Check in all six countries. FSANZ accepts soft cheese baked to 75°C, and Health Canada accepts soft cheese cooked.
They show the same as fresh mozzarella: Check in five countries and Avoid in New Zealand when cold. The NHS names burrata with mozzarella among pasteurised soft cheeses.
Block or grated mozzarella shows No known issues in all six countries. Fresh mozzarella (świeża mozzarella) shows Check, and Avoid cold in New Zealand; heated until steaming hot, it shows Check everywhere.
The cheese guidance is the same all through pregnancy. None of the six countries changes it by trimester.
The NHS says dairy foods such as cheese are important in pregnancy, because they contain calcium and other nutrients you and your baby need.
The NHS says most dairy products sold in UK supermarkets are pasteurised, and lists pasteurised mozzarella among the soft cheeses you can have in pregnancy. Doola Scan shows No known issues for block mozzarella in the UK and Check for fresh mozzarella, because the check is the label.
Mozzarella made from raw milk shows Avoid in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, and Check in the UK and Canada, where it needs cooking until steaming hot. The FDA says not to eat any cheese made with unpasteurised milk.
Yes. Take a photo of the label, the menu or the plate, and Doola Scan checks each ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
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Download app nowDoola 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.