Can I eat queso while pregnant?
Check
Doola Scan's answer in the United States
Doola Scan's answer in the United StatesFresh queso, like queso fresco, queso blanco and panela, gets Check in Doola Scan in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland, and Avoid in New Zealand, because these are soft cheeses that can carry listeria. The CDC asks for queso fresco-type cheeses to be heated to 165°F even when made from pasteurised milk, while the NHS accepts pasteurised soft cheese cold. Canada and Australia ask for soft cheese cooked until hot, and Health NZ asks you to avoid it. Heated until steaming hot, queso fresco shows Check in all six. Warm queso dip made from melted processed cheese shows No known issues.
Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · UpdatedCold queso fresco, crumbled on tacos, beans or salads
Check
Avoid
Queso fresco heated until steaming hot, in enchiladas or a hot dish
CheckIn all six countriesQueso blanco and queso panela
CheckAvoidHot queso dip made from melted processed cheese
No known issuesIn all six countries
What each country says
Queso while pregnant: what each country says.
Each country's own pregnancy guidance on queso, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.
United States
- Cold queso fresco, crumbled on tacos, beans or saladsCheck
- Queso fresco heated until steaming hot, in enchiladas or a hot dishCheck
- Queso blanco and queso panelaCheck
- Hot queso dip made from melted processed cheeseNo known issues
- 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
- Cold queso fresco, crumbled on tacos, beans or saladsCheck
- Queso fresco heated until steaming hot, in enchiladas or a hot dishCheck
- Queso blanco and queso panelaCheck
- Hot queso dip made from melted processed cheeseNo known issues
- NHSPasteurised soft cheeses such as mozzarella, feta, paneer, ricotta, burrata are safe.Source
Canada
- Cold queso fresco, crumbled on tacos, beans or saladsCheck
- Queso fresco heated until steaming hot, in enchiladas or a hot dishCheck
- Queso blanco and queso panelaCheck
- Hot queso dip made from melted processed cheeseNo known issues
- 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
- Cold queso fresco, crumbled on tacos, beans or saladsCheck
- Queso fresco heated until steaming hot, in enchiladas or a hot dishCheck
- Queso blanco and queso panelaCheck
- Hot queso dip made from melted processed cheeseNo known issues
- 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, beans or saladsAvoid
- Queso fresco heated until steaming hot, in enchiladas or a hot dishCheck
- Queso blanco and queso panelaAvoid
- Hot queso dip made from melted processed cheeseNo known issues
- Health NZAvoid soft, semi-soft and surface-ripened cheeses such as brie, camembert, ricotta, blue and feta.Source
Ireland
- Cold queso fresco, crumbled on tacos, beans or saladsCheck
- Queso fresco heated until steaming hot, in enchiladas or a hot dishCheck
- Queso blanco and queso panelaCheck
- Hot queso dip made from melted processed cheeseNo known issues
- HSESoft cheeses such as brie and camembert only if cooked until steaming hot.Source
What to check
Before you eat queso.
Check the label says pasteurised milk
The FDA asks for soft cheese clearly labelled made from pasteurized milk. The NHS lists pasteurised soft cheeses among the foods you can have in pregnancy, and unpasteurised dairy among the foods to be careful with. FDA
In the US, heat queso fresco to 165°F
The CDC asks you to avoid unheated queso fresco-type cheeses, such as queso fresco, queso blanco and requesón, even when they're made with pasteurised milk. It asks for them heated to 165°F, or until steaming hot. CDC
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 pasteurised. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks for soft cheeses cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away. Health Canada
In New Zealand, leave fresh queso out
Health NZ asks people at higher risk of listeria to avoid soft and semi-soft cheeses. Doola Scan shows Avoid for cold queso fresco, queso blanco and panela there. Health NZ
QuestionsAbout queso
About queso
in pregnancy.
It depends on the maker, so look at the label. The FDA asks for soft cheese clearly labelled made from pasteurized milk. In the US, the CDC asks for queso fresco to be heated to 165°F even when it is pasteurised.
The label tells you: the FDA asks you to look for made from pasteurized milk on soft cheese. Queso fresco made from raw milk shows Avoid in Doola Scan in the US.
The guidance is about what to eat from here on; it doesn't ask you to do anything about cheese already eaten. If you feel unwell or are worried, call your midwife or doctor; in the UK, the NHS says to call 111 if you have symptoms of listeriosis.
Queso panela shows Check in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland, and Avoid in New Zealand, as a fresh soft cheese. The US asks for pasteurised milk and the CDC for queso fresco-type cheeses heated to 165°F.
Doola Scan doesn't read queso Oaxaca as a name of its own yet, so this page can't give it a verdict. Check the label for pasteurised milk, and a scan reads the rest of the dish.
Nacho cheese sauce and queso dip made from melted processed cheese show No known issues in all six countries. A white dip made with queso blanco shows Check: the queso dip page covers it.
Raw-milk queso fresco shows Avoid in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, and Check in the UK and Canada, where it must be cooked. The FDA says not to eat any cheese made with unpasteurised milk.
Yes. Take a photo of the menu, the plate or the cheese label, and Doola Scan checks each ingredient 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.