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Can I eat parmesan cheese while pregnant?

No known issues Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Parmesan cheese shows No known issues in Doola Scan in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, grated, shaved or melted. The NHS lists hard cheeses such as parmesan among the cheeses you can have, pasteurised or unpasteurised. Other countries draw the line at raw milk: parmesan made from unpasteurised milk shows Avoid in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, and Check in Canada and the UK.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Parmesan, grated, shaved or in a block

    No known issuesIn all six countries

  • Parmesan melted on hot pasta, lasagna or pizza

    No known issuesIn all six countries
Doola Scan checking a plate
What each country says

Parmesan cheese while pregnant: what each country says.

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

  • No known issues

    None of the six countries' pregnancy guidance names parmesan cheese.

  • United States

    No known issues
    Parmesan made from raw (unpasteurised) milk
    • 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

    No known issues
    Parmesan made from raw (unpasteurised) milk
    • NHSUnpasteurised dairy may contain listeria.Source

  • Canada

    No known issues
    Parmesan made from raw (unpasteurised) milk
    • CPSAvoid unpasteurized cheese and dairy products.Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid raw or unpasteurized dairy products, including uncooked hard cheese; cooked cheese is fine.Source

  • Australia

    No known issues
    Parmesan made from raw (unpasteurised) milk
    • 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

    No known issues
    Parmesan made from raw (unpasteurised) milk
    • MPI (NZ Food Safety)Avoid raw milk, raw-milk cheeses and raw-milk yoghurts.Source
What to check

Before you eat parmesan cheese.

  1. Outside the UK, check the label for pasteurised milk

    Some parmesan is made from unpasteurised milk, and the label says which. The FDA says not to eat any cheese made with unpasteurised milk, with no exception for hard cheese. FDA

  2. In Canada, raw-milk parmesan can be cooked

    Health Canada lists Parmesan and Romano among hard cheeses you can choose uncooked when made from pasteurised milk, and says any cheese, raw milk or not, is fine cooked. The CDC asks for raw-milk cheese to be heated to 165°F or until steaming hot. Health Canada

Questions

About parmesan cheese
in pregnancy.

Parmesan shows No known issues in all six countries Doola Scan covers. The NHS lists hard cheeses such as parmesan among the cheeses you can have, pasteurised or unpasteurised.

It depends on the cheese, so read the label. Health Canada lists pasteurised Parmesan among hard cheeses you can eat uncooked, and the FDA says not to eat cheese made from unpasteurised milk.

Doola Scan shows No known issues for Parmigiano Reggiano, as for parmesan. In the US, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, the label is still the check: whether the milk is pasteurised.

Grated parmesan follows the same lines as a block. Check the label for pasteurised milk if you're outside the UK.

The parmesan shows No known issues on both. On a caesar salad, the dressing is what to check, if it's made with raw egg.

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 cheese guidance is the same all through pregnancy. None of the six countries changes it by trimester.

The NHS lists pasteurised or unpasteurised hard cheeses, such as cheddar, gruyère and parmesan, among the foods you can have in pregnancy. It asks for unpasteurised soft cheese to be cooked until steaming hot instead.

The parmesan in it shows No known issues in all six countries. The chicken follows the poultry guidance: Health NZ asks for chicken to be cooked until piping hot throughout.

Yes. Take a photo of the label, and Doola Scan checks it against your country's pregnancy guidance, including whether the milk is pasteurised. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
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Point Doola at a plate, a menu or a label. It checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance and shows its sources. 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.