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Can I eat soft cheese while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Pasteurised soft cheese shows No known issues in the US and UK, Check in Canada, Australia and Ireland, and Avoid in New Zealand when eaten cold. Mould-ripened cheeses like brie and camembert, and soft blue cheese, show Check in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, and Avoid in New Zealand and Ireland. Canada, Australia and New Zealand ask for soft cheese to be cooked until hot, even pasteurised, and the UK asks it for brie and blue. Cooked until steaming hot, soft cheese shows Check in all six countries.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Pasteurised fresh soft cheese, like mozzarella or paneer

    No known issuesUnited StatesUnited KingdomCheckCanadaAustraliaIrelandAvoidNew Zealand

  • Soft cheese with a white rind: brie and camembert

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaAustraliaAvoidNew ZealandIreland

  • Soft blue cheese, like gorgonzola

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaAustraliaAvoidNew ZealandIreland

  • Feta and ricotta, served cold

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaAustraliaIrelandAvoidNew Zealand

  • Soft cheese cooked until steaming hot, baked or in a sauce

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

Soft cheese while pregnant: what each country says.

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

  • United States

    • Pasteurised fresh soft cheese, like mozzarella or paneerNo known issues
    • Soft cheese with a white rind: brie and camembertCheck
    • Soft blue cheese, like gorgonzolaCheck
    • Feta and ricotta, served coldCheck
    • Soft cheese cooked until steaming hot, baked or in a sauceCheck
    • FDASoft cheeses such as Brie and Camembert are fine if made with pasteurized milk; check the label.Source
    • 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
    • FDABlue-veined soft cheeses are fine if made with pasteurized milk.Source
    Soft cheese 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

    • Pasteurised fresh soft cheese, like mozzarella or paneerNo known issues
    • Soft cheese with a white rind: brie and camembertCheck
    • Soft blue cheese, like gorgonzolaCheck
    • Feta and ricotta, served coldCheck
    • Soft cheese cooked until steaming hot, baked or in a sauceCheck
    • NHSCan carry listeria, which is riskier in pregnancy.Source
    • NHSPasteurised soft cheeses such as mozzarella, feta, paneer, ricotta, burrata are safe.Source
    Soft cheese made from raw (unpasteurised) milk
    • 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
    • Health CanadaSoft cheese like Brie or Camembert is fine when cooked (casserole, au gratin); avoid uncooked even if pasteurized.Source
    • Health CanadaBlue-veined cheese is fine when cooked; avoid uncooked even if pasteurized.Source
    Soft cheese 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

    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
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Soft cheeses such as brie and camembert are safe if served cooked and hot.Source
    • NSW HealthSoft cheeses only if cooked and eaten hot.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Do not eat brie, camembert, blue, ricotta, feta unless cooked to at least 75 °C and eaten straight away.Source
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Avoid soft cheeses including blue-vein unless cooked.Source
    • NSW HealthSoft blue-vein cheese only if cooked and eaten hot.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Avoid blue cheese unless cooked to 75 °C and eaten immediately.Source
    Soft cheese 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

    • Pasteurised fresh soft cheese, like mozzarella or paneerAvoid
    • Soft cheese with a white rind: brie and camembertAvoid
    • Soft blue cheese, like gorgonzolaAvoid
    • Feta and ricotta, served coldAvoid
    • Soft cheese cooked until steaming hot, baked or in a sauceCheck
    • Health NZAvoid soft, semi-soft and surface-ripened cheeses such as brie, camembert, ricotta, blue and feta.Source
    • MPI (NZ Food Safety)Low-acid soft pasteurised cheeses (brie, camembert, feta, mozzarella): do not eat unless cooked.Source
    • Health NZLow acid soft pasteurised cheese incl. blue, brie, feta, mozzarella: do not eat unless cooked.Source
    Soft cheese made from raw (unpasteurised) milk
    • MPI (NZ Food Safety)Avoid raw milk, raw-milk cheeses and raw-milk yoghurts.Source

  • Ireland

    • Pasteurised fresh soft cheese, like mozzarella or paneerCheck
    • Soft cheese with a white rind: brie and camembertAvoid
    • Soft blue cheese, like gorgonzolaAvoid
    • Feta and ricotta, served coldCheck
    • Soft cheese cooked until steaming hot, baked or in a sauceCheck
    • HSESoft cheeses such as brie and camembert only if cooked until steaming hot.Source
    • HSEAvoid mould-ripened cheeses such as brie and camembert.Source
    • HSEAvoid blue cheeses such as Danish blue, gorgonzola and roquefort.Source
What to check

Before you eat soft cheese.

  1. Check the label says pasteurised

    The FDA asks for soft cheese to be clearly labelled made from pasteurized milk. Ireland's HSE also asks you to check labels for pasteurised. FDA

  2. In the UK, cook brie, camembert and soft blue cheese

    The NHS asks for mould-ripened soft cheeses with a white rind, like brie and camembert, and soft blue cheeses to be cooked until steaming hot in pregnancy. It lists other pasteurised soft cheeses, like mozzarella, ricotta and cream cheese, among those you can have. NHS

  3. In Canada, Australia or New Zealand, cook soft cheese

    Health Canada asks pregnant people to avoid uncooked soft and semi-soft cheese even when pasteurised, and accepts it cooked until hot and bubbly. FSANZ names brie, camembert, mozzarella, ricotta, feta and blue among cheeses to avoid unless baked to 75°C. Health Canada

  4. Eat cooked soft cheese hot, soon after

    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 such as brie and camembert to be eaten only if cooked until steaming hot. NSW Food Authority

Questions

About soft cheese
in pregnancy.

In the US and UK, most pasteurised soft cheese shows No known issues, though the UK asks for brie, camembert and soft blue cheese to be cooked. Canada, Australia and Ireland ask for it cooked, so it shows Check, and Health NZ names soft cheeses to avoid, so it shows Avoid cold in New Zealand.

Soft cheese 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.

The lists differ. The NHS names mould-ripened cheeses like brie and camembert and soft blue cheeses, unless cooked. FSANZ names brie, camembert, mozzarella, ricotta, feta and blue, unless baked to 75°C. Ireland's HSE lists blue cheeses such as gorgonzola and roquefort.

Read the label for pasteurised milk. The FDA asks for soft cheese to be clearly labelled made from pasteurized milk, and the NHS says most dairy products sold in supermarkets are pasteurised. At a deli or market, ask.

Cooked until steaming hot, soft cheese shows Check in all six countries. Health Canada accepts it cooked until hot and bubbly, Australia's Pregnancy Birth and Baby asks for at least 75°C and eating it straight away, and the NHS accepts it cooked until steaming hot.

Doola Scan shows No known issues for cream cheese and cottage cheese in all six countries. The NHS lists both among the pasteurised soft cheeses you can have.

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

Yes. Take a photo of the label, the cheese board or the menu, and Doola Scan checks each ingredient 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.