Can I Eat Soft Cheese During Pregnancy?

Soft cheese made from pasteurized milk is considered safe during pregnancy under FDA and ACOG guidelines. The danger is not soft cheese itself, but specifically unpasteurized soft cheese, which can harbor Listeria monocytogenes.

Most commercial soft cheese sold in US grocery stores is pasteurized. Check the label for "made from pasteurized milk," and if it says that, brie, feta, camembert, ricotta, mozzarella, and cream cheese are all considered safe.

The old blanket advice to avoid all soft cheese is outdated. This guide explains the real distinction, which specific cheeses are considered safe, and how to check.

🧀 The Quick Rule: Pasteurized vs Unpasteurized

🔑 Key Takeaway: Pasteurized soft cheese is considered safe during pregnancy. Unpasteurized soft cheese should be avoided. Check the label, since most commercial US brands are pasteurized. Be cautious with imported cheeses, artisanal varieties, and farmers market cheeses, which are more likely to be unpasteurized.

The comparison below sorts the everyday cheeses into considered-safe and avoid, based on pasteurization. It is the fastest way to see where a given cheese falls.

Hard cheeses such as cheddar, parmesan, Swiss, gruyere, and aged gouda are considered safe regardless of pasteurization status. Their low moisture and long aging prevent Listeria from growing, even when the milk was unpasteurized.

That single distinction, pasteurized versus not, resolves almost every soft cheese question in pregnancy. The rest of this guide is really about how to confirm which one you are holding.

📋 Which Cheeses Are Safe During Pregnancy?

Most guides confuse people by listing every cheese as "avoid" without separating pasteurized from unpasteurized. The reference table injected below gives the practical, cheese-by-cheese breakdown.

A few patterns are worth remembering rather than memorizing the whole list. Commercial US versions of brie, feta, mozzarella, ricotta, and cream cheese are almost always pasteurized and considered safe.

The cheeses to double-check are the imported and artisanal ones. French brie and camembert, Greek feta, and farm goat cheese are the varieties most likely to be raw milk, so they earn a label check.

Burrata and fresh mozzarella are worth a specific mention, since they are among the softest and wettest cheeses. Commercial US versions are pasteurized and considered safe, but their high moisture means an unpasteurized version would be a higher-risk choice than a firmer cheese.

Cottage cheese, cream cheese, and mascarpone round out the everyday soft cheeses, and all are almost always pasteurized in the US. Spreadable tub cheeses in particular are made from pasteurized milk and are considered safe.

The general principle holds across the whole list. If it is a soft cheese and the label says pasteurized, it is considered safe; if it is a hard cheese, it is considered safe either way; and only unpasteurized soft cheese belongs in the avoid column.

💡 Tip: When eating out, ask your server whether the cheese is pasteurized. Most US restaurants use pasteurized dairy for soft cheeses. Be more cautious at specialty restaurants with imported cheese boards, cheese-focused menus, and farmers markets.

❓ Why Can't You Eat Soft Cheese When Pregnant?

This is one of the most common pregnancy food questions, and the honest answer is that the popular version of the rule is wrong. You can eat most soft cheese; you just cannot eat the unpasteurized kind.

The real reason behind the caution is Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that unpasteurized soft cheese can carry. Soft cheeses are moist and low in acid, which makes them a comfortable environment for Listeria to grow.

Pregnancy raises the stakes because the immune system is naturally modulated to accommodate the baby. That makes pregnant people far more susceptible to listeriosis than the general population.

So the rule exists for a genuine reason, but it was oversimplified along the way. Pasteurization removes the hazard, which is why pasteurized soft cheese sits firmly in the considered-safe column.

⚠️ Why Unpasteurized Soft Cheese Is Risky

The specific danger is Listeria, the same bacterium that makes pre-made salads and deli meats risky in pregnancy. Listeria is unusual because it keeps multiplying at refrigerator temperatures where most bacteria stall.

Soft cheeses have high moisture content, which provides an ideal growth environment. Unpasteurized milk may carry Listeria from the animal or the milking environment, and without heat treatment those bacteria survive into the finished cheese.

⚠️ Warning: Pregnant individuals are roughly 10 times more likely to develop listeriosis than the general population, according to the CDC. Listeria can cross the placental barrier and may cause miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm labor, or severe neonatal infection. This is what makes the label-checking habit genuinely worthwhile rather than merely precautionary.

Pasteurization heats milk to about 161°F (72°C) for 15 seconds, which reliably kills Listeria and other pathogens. It does not meaningfully change the taste, texture, or nutrition of the cheese.

Hard cheeses are the exception to the raw-milk concern. Even unpasteurized hard cheese like traditional Parmigiano-Reggiano is considered safe, because the low moisture and long aging create conditions where Listeria cannot survive.

It helps to understand why Listeria is treated so seriously despite listeriosis being rare. The infection is uncommon, but when it occurs during pregnancy the consequences can be severe, which shifts the risk calculation toward caution.

Symptoms in the mother can also be deceptively mild, sometimes resembling a flu with fever and aches. That means an infection can progress without obvious warning, which is another reason prevention through pasteurization is emphasized over relying on symptoms.

The reassuring side is that the preventive step is simple and effective. Choosing pasteurized cheese removes the hazard almost entirely, so the habit costs little while the protection is meaningful.

🔵 What About Blue Cheese?

Blue cheese deserves its own note because it sits in a trickier category. Many blue cheeses are soft or semi-soft and mold-ripened, and traditional versions are often made from unpasteurized milk.

Pasteurized blue cheese is generally considered safe during pregnancy if it is thoroughly cooked, and many sources advise caution with it even when pasteurized because of its moist, mold-ripened nature. If you want blue cheese, the safest route is a pasteurized version that has been cooked until steaming hot, such as melted into a sauce.

The mold in blue cheese is not the same as spoilage mold and is not the core concern. The concern is the same Listeria risk that applies to other soft, moist cheeses, which is why cooking and pasteurization both matter here.

If you are unsure about a particular blue cheese, treat it like any other soft cheese and check the label for pasteurization, or ask before eating it uncooked.

Common blue cheeses vary in how they are made. Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton, and Danish blue differ in moisture and in whether they use pasteurized milk, so none of them can be waved through as automatically safe without checking.

The practical approach is the same one that governs the rest of this guide. A pasteurized blue cheese, cooked into a hot dish, is the lowest-risk way to enjoy it, while an unpasteurized blue cheese eaten cold is the version worth skipping during pregnancy.

🥛 What Is Soft Cheese Made Of?

Soft cheese is simply cheese with a high moisture content and little or no aging, which is what gives it that creamy, spreadable texture. It is made by curdling milk, then draining only some of the whey rather than pressing and aging it for months.

Semi-soft cheeses like havarti and young gouda sit between soft and hard. They are considered safe on the same logic as any other cheese: pasteurized is fine, and firmer, more-aged versions carry even less risk.

The takeaway is that texture tracks moisture, and moisture tracks risk. Softer and wetter means a friendlier environment for bacteria, which is exactly why the pasteurization check matters most for the softest cheeses.

🧱 Hard Cheeses: Safe Regardless of Pasteurization

Hard aged cheeses are the one category that sidesteps the pasteurization question entirely. Parmesan, aged cheddar, Swiss, gruyere, aged gouda, Pecorino Romano, and Manchego are all considered safe during pregnancy whether or not the milk was pasteurized.

The reason is moisture and time. These cheeses are pressed to remove water and then aged for months, and Listeria cannot survive the combination of low moisture, salt, and acidity that develops.

Traditional Parmigiano-Reggiano is the clearest example. It is made from raw, unpasteurized milk and aged a minimum of 12 months, often 24 to 36, and it is still considered safe because the aging process eliminates pathogenic bacteria.

FDA guidance does not restrict hard aged cheeses during pregnancy. If you have been avoiding the parmesan on your pasta, you can stop.

Hard cheese is also the most calcium-dense option available. Parmesan delivers roughly 330 mg of calcium per ounce, about a third of the pregnancy daily need, alongside 10 g of protein.

💡 Tip: If label-checking every soft cheese feels exhausting, hard aged cheese is the effortless choice. Cheddar, parmesan, Swiss, gruyere, and aged gouda need no verification at all, and they happen to be the highest-calcium cheeses on the shelf.

🐐 Goat, Sheep, and Cow: The Animal Does Not Matter

A common assumption is that goat or sheep cheese is somehow safer or riskier than cow cheese. It is neither, because the animal source has no bearing on Listeria risk.

What matters is the same two variables as always: moisture and pasteurization. Soft goat cheese, or chevre, is high moisture and needs the pasteurization check exactly like soft cow cheese does.

Commercial chevre from major brands is almost always pasteurized and considered safe. Farm and artisanal goat cheese is more often raw milk, which is where the label check earns its keep.

Aged hard goat cheese follows the hard cheese rule and is considered safe either way. Goat milk feta and goat brie vary, so they need checking.

One genuine advantage of goat cheese is lower lactose than cow's milk cheese. If dairy causes you mild discomfort, pasteurized goat cheese can be a tolerable route to calcium and protein.

🥗 Soft Cheese Nutrition During Pregnancy

Cheese delivers several nutrients your body needs more of in pregnancy, especially calcium, which the fetus draws heavily from maternal stores in the third trimester. The nutrition reference below shows what a typical serving provides.

A single ounce of cheese supplies roughly 15 to 22% of daily calcium needs. The standard guideline is about three servings of dairy a day, whether that is milk, yogurt, or pasteurized cheese.

Beyond calcium, cheese contributes protein for fetal tissue growth, vitamin B12 for the developing nervous system, and zinc for immune function and cell division. These come in a compact, convenient form that is easy to add to meals.

For anyone limiting cheese because of nausea or taste changes, the same nutrients are available from other pasteurized dairy. Milk and yogurt cover calcium and protein well and are almost always pasteurized, making them easy substitutes during the weeks when cheese is unappealing.

📌 Note: If dietary calcium is insufficient during pregnancy, the fetus draws calcium from maternal bones, which may increase long-term osteoporosis risk. Pasteurized soft cheese is an efficient way to help meet the daily calcium target alongside other dairy.

🔥 Does Cooking Make Soft Cheese Safe?

Thorough cooking adds a second layer of safety on top of pasteurization, because heat kills Listeria. A soft cheese heated until it is steaming hot all the way through is considered safe even in situations where you would otherwise be cautious.

This is why cheese melted into a cooked dish, a baked pasta, a hot sauce, or a pizza, is lower risk than the same cheese eaten cold. The temperature reached in cooking is more than enough to destroy the bacteria of concern.

It does not, however, give a free pass to knowingly cook an unpasteurized cheese and treat it as identical to pasteurized. The safest combination is still a pasteurized cheese, and cooking is best thought of as extra protection rather than a substitute for checking the label.

🔍 How to Verify Pasteurization

The most reliable method is reading the label, since FDA-regulated dairy must state whether the milk is pasteurized. The steps injected below walk through checking at the store, the restaurant, and at home.

Look for "made from pasteurized milk" or simply "pasteurized" on the ingredients panel. If it says "raw milk cheese" or "made from unpasteurized milk," avoid it during pregnancy.

When no label is available, at a cheese counter or restaurant, just ask. "Is this cheese made from pasteurized milk?" is a normal question that vendors and servers hear often.

Storage at home matters too, because even a safe pasteurized cheese can develop problems if mishandled. Keep soft cheese refrigerated at 35 to 40°F, use it within a few days of opening, and avoid leaving it at room temperature for more than two hours, since warmth speeds bacterial growth.

One more practical habit is to buy soft cheese fresh rather than near its expiry, and to skip any that looks or smells off. This is ordinary food hygiene, but it matters more in pregnancy because the margin for error is smaller.

🎯 Bottom Line: The "no soft cheese during pregnancy" rule is oversimplified. Pasteurized soft cheese, which is what most US grocery cheese is, is considered safe. Check labels, ask at restaurants, and avoid anything unpasteurized. Hard cheeses are considered safe regardless.

📅 Trimester-Specific Considerations

The pasteurization rule stays the same across all three trimesters, but the emphasis shifts slightly as pregnancy progresses.

In the first trimester, Listeria risk is most concerning because infection carries the highest miscarriage risk. This is the period to be most diligent about verifying pasteurization, and if nausea makes cheese unappealing, yogurt and milk offer similar calcium and are nearly always pasteurized.

In the second trimester, fetal bone development accelerates and calcium intake matters more, so pasteurized soft cheese becomes a useful source. Appetite usually normalizes, making regular consumption easier.

In the third trimester, the fetus accumulates roughly 250 to 330 mg of calcium per day for skeletal development. If maternal dietary calcium is inadequate, your body mobilizes it from your own bones, so keeping up dairy intake is worthwhile.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Is cream cheese safe during pregnancy?

Yes. Commercial cream cheese, including Philadelphia and store brands, is made from pasteurized milk and is considered safe. It is technically a soft cheese, but it is virtually always pasteurized in commercial production, so it can be used freely on bagels, in dips, and in cooking.

Is ricotta safe during pregnancy?

Pasteurized ricotta is considered safe, and most US commercial ricotta is pasteurized. Check the label and avoid artisanal or farm-made ricotta that may use raw milk. It works in both cooked dishes like lasagna and uncooked applications when pasteurized.

Is parmesan safe during pregnancy?

Yes, freely. Parmesan is a hard aged cheese and is considered safe regardless of pasteurization, because low moisture and 12 or more months of aging prevent Listeria. Even traditional raw-milk Parmigiano-Reggiano is considered safe, and at roughly 330 mg of calcium per ounce it is one of the best cheese choices available.

Is chevre safe during pregnancy?

Commercial chevre from major brands is almost always pasteurized and considered safe. Artisanal or farm chevre is more often raw milk, so verify before eating. Goat cheese heated on pizza or baked into a dish is considered safe regardless of its original pasteurization.

Is string cheese or shredded mozzarella safe?

Yes. Packaged, shredded, sliced, and string mozzarella are made from pasteurized milk and are considered safe. Fresh water-packed mozzarella from commercial brands is usually pasteurized too, though the label is worth a glance.

Is pasteurized soft cheese safe during pregnancy?

Yes. Under FDA and ACOG guidelines, pasteurized soft cheese is considered safe. The risk applies specifically to unpasteurized soft cheese, which can carry Listeria. Checking the label for "pasteurized" resolves the question for almost any cheese.

Is brie pasteurized, and can I eat it pregnant?

Most commercial brie sold in US supermarkets is pasteurized and considered safe during pregnancy. Verify by checking the label, since imported French brie from artisanal producers may be unpasteurized.

Is mozzarella pasteurized?

Fresh mozzarella from major US brands is usually pasteurized and considered safe, though it varies by brand, so check the label. Shredded mozzarella and the low-moisture mozzarella on pizza are pasteurized and considered safe.

Is shredded cheese pasteurized?

Commercially packaged shredded cheese in the US is made from pasteurized milk and is considered safe during pregnancy. As always, the label will confirm it.

Can you eat pasteurized blue cheese when pregnant?

Pasteurized blue cheese is generally considered safer when cooked until steaming hot, such as melted into a sauce. Many sources still advise caution with blue cheese even when pasteurized because it is soft and mold-ripened, so cooking it is the most cautious approach.

Why can't pregnant women eat soft cheese?

The concern is only unpasteurized soft cheese, which can contain Listeria. Pasteurized soft cheese does not carry this risk. The blanket "avoid all soft cheese" advice is outdated, and current FDA guidance distinguishes pasteurized from unpasteurized.

Is soft cheese a high risk food in pregnancy?

Only unpasteurized soft cheese is considered high risk, because of Listeria. Pasteurized soft cheese is low risk and considered safe. The risk category depends entirely on pasteurization, not on softness alone.

Is gruyere or Swiss cheese safe during pregnancy?

Yes. Both are hard cheeses, which are considered safe during pregnancy regardless of pasteurization, because their low moisture and long aging prevent Listeria growth.

If I accidentally ate unpasteurized cheese, should I worry?

A single exposure does not guarantee infection. Monitor for listeriosis symptoms over the next 1 to 4 weeks, including fever above 100.4°F, muscle aches, nausea, or diarrhea. If symptoms appear, contact your provider and mention the exposure. Most single exposures do not result in infection.

Is all goat cheese unsafe during pregnancy?

No. Goat cheese safety depends on pasteurization, not the milk source. Commercial goat cheese from major brands is typically pasteurized and considered safe, while artisanal or farm-made goat cheese is often unpasteurized, so check the label.

For other pregnancy food questions, see our safe food checker, or the full guides on fish and seafood and meat and deli during pregnancy.

Sources

1. CDC. Listeria Infection (Listeriosis): Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023.
2. FDA. Food Safety for Pregnant Women. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2023.
3. ACOG. Nutrition During Pregnancy: Foods to Avoid. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2023.
4. NHS. Foods to Avoid in Pregnancy. National Health Service, 2023.

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