Can I eat queso fresco while pregnant?
Check
Doola Scan's answer in the United States
Doola Scan's answer in the United StatesQueso fresco meets the US guidance when it's heated to 165°F or until steaming hot: the CDC asks for this even when it's made from pasteurized milk. Doola Scan shows Check for cold queso fresco in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland, and Avoid in New Zealand, where Health NZ advises against soft cheeses. The NHS accepts pasteurised soft cheese cold, while Canada and Australia ask for soft cheese to be cooked. Heated until steaming hot, queso fresco shows Check in all six.
Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · UpdatedCold queso fresco, crumbled on tacos, elote, beans or salads
Check
Avoid
Queso fresco heated until steaming hot, in enchiladas or a hot dish
CheckIn all six countriesQueso blanco and requesón, the other fresh cheeses the CDC names
CheckAvoid
What each country says
Queso fresco while pregnant: what each country says.
Each country's own pregnancy guidance on queso fresco, 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
Queso fresco made from raw (unpasteurised) milk, such as homemade or from a market stall- 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
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
Queso fresco made from raw (unpasteurised) milk, such as homemade or from a market stall- 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
Queso fresco made from raw (unpasteurised) milk, such as homemade or from a market stall- 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 queso fresco, crumbled on tacos, elote, beans or saladsAvoid
- Queso fresco heated until steaming hot, in enchiladas or a hot dishCheck
- Queso blanco and requesón, the other fresh cheeses the CDC namesAvoid
- Health NZAvoid soft, semi-soft and surface-ripened cheeses such as brie, camembert, ricotta, blue and feta.Source
Ireland
Check- HSESoft cheeses such as brie and camembert only if cooked until steaming hot.Source
What to check
Before you eat queso fresco.
In the US, heat it to 165°F, pasteurised or not
The CDC lists any unheated queso fresco-type cheese, made with pasteurized or raw milk, among foods to avoid, and the same cheeses heated to 165°F or until steaming hot among foods to choose. CDC
Read the label for pasteurised milk
The FDA asks for soft cheese clearly labelled made from pasteurized milk, and says not to eat cheese made from raw milk. A cheese without a label, from a market or a home kitchen, gives you no way to check. FDA
In Canada and Australia, cook it until hot
Health Canada asks pregnant people to avoid uncooked soft and semi-soft cheese even when it's pasteurized. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby accepts soft cheese cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away. Health Canada
QuestionsAbout queso fresco
About queso fresco
in pregnancy.
It depends on the maker, so read the label for made from pasteurized milk. In the US, the CDC still asks for queso fresco to be heated to 165°F even when it is pasteurised.
The CDC's list names unheated queso fresco-type cheeses whether they're made with pasteurized or raw milk, so pasteurised alone doesn't meet the US line. Heating it to 165°F or until steaming hot does.
The CDC's line covers queso fresco-type cheese of any brand: heat it to 165°F or until steaming hot. Cold, any queso fresco shows Check in the US in Doola Scan.
The guidance is about what to eat from here on. If you feel unwell or are worried, talk to your midwife or doctor.
The NHS lists pasteurised soft cheeses among the foods you can have in pregnancy, and asks for anything made from unpasteurised milk to be thoroughly cooked. Doola Scan shows Check in the UK, because the check is the label.
Cotija shows No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries. Check its label for pasteurised milk too: the FDA says not to eat cheese made from raw milk.
In the US, the CDC asks for queso fresco to be heated to 165°F, or until steaming hot, even when it's pasteurised. Cold, Doola Scan shows Check in five countries and Avoid in New Zealand.
Yes. Take a photo of the label, the plate or the menu, and Doola Scan checks each cheese against your country's pregnancy guidance. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
Not sure about a meal? Scan it.
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.
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.