Pregnancy food checker · United States
Can I eat soft cheese while pregnant?
You are at a cheese board, a taco, or a salad with feta. The cheese name is not enough. Check the type, the milk label, and whether it will be heated.
Short answer
Heat queso fresco-type cheeses, brie, Camembert, and blue cheese to 165°F (74°C) or until steaming. Pasteurized feta, mozzarella, cottage cheese, and cream cheese are on CDC’s safer list without that extra heat.
Sort the cheese before you eat it
- Is it queso fresco, queso blanco, requesón, or a similar fresh cheese?
- Does the label say the milk was pasteurized?
- Will brie, Camembert, or blue cheese be heated to 165°F (74°C)?
Label, cheese type, then heat
Read the milk line on the label
FDA says not to eat soft cheeses such as feta, brie, Camembert, blue cheese, or queso fresco unless they are made with pasteurized milk. The label should say so.
Guidance sources: FDA [1]
Separate queso fresco-type cheeses
CDC’s pregnancy table lists queso fresco, queso blanco, requesón, and similar fresh cheeses as riskier even when pasteurized. Heating pasteurized soft cheese to 165°F (74°C), or until steaming, is the safer choice listed there.
Guidance sources: CDC [2]
Use the safer list for the rest
CDC lists pasteurized cottage cheese, cream cheese, string cheese, feta, and mozzarella as safer choices. Pasteurized hard cheeses such as cheddar and Parmesan are on that list too.
Guidance sources: CDC [2]
Continue reading: Can I eat Greek yogurt while pregnant?
Which check applies
Find the cheese, then use that row. Do not use the feta row for queso fresco.
| Cheese | Check | If you cannot tell |
|---|---|---|
| Queso fresco, queso blanco, or requesón | Heat until steaming, even if the label says pasteurized. | Leave it off. Guidance sources: CDC [2] |
| Brie, Camembert, or blue cheese | Confirm pasteurized milk, then heat to 165°F (74°C) or until steaming. | Choose a pasteurized hard cheese instead. |
| Feta, mozzarella, cottage, or cream cheese | Use it when the label says pasteurized milk. | Skip it, or heat a pasteurized soft cheese until steaming. |
FDA allows pasteurized versions of several soft cheeses. CDC’s pregnancy table is stricter for queso fresco-type cheese and for unheated brie, Camembert, and blue cheese. This page uses the CDC table.
Cheese board and restaurant questions
Why is pasteurized queso fresco still heated?
FDA’s older page allows these cheeses when the label says pasteurized milk. CDC’s 2025 pregnancy table still treats unheated queso fresco-type cheese as riskier. This page follows that table.
Can I eat baked brie?
Yes, when the brie is made with pasteurized milk and is heated to 165°F (74°C) or until steaming hot. A warm rind with a cold center does not meet that temperature.
What about cheese sliced at the deli?
CDC lists unheated deli-sliced cheese as a riskier choice, and deli-sliced cheese heated to 165°F (74°C) or until steaming hot as safer. Ask for it heated if it was sliced at the counter.
Guidance sources: CDC [2]
Continue reading: Can I eat deli meat while pregnant?
Background and other choices
What matters for soft cheese
- Unpasteurized soft cheese is a riskier choice.
- CDC still lists unheated queso fresco-type cheese as riskier when the milk was pasteurized.
- A pasteurized-milk label does not by itself cover every soft cheese.
Safer next steps
- Choose pasteurized feta, mozzarella, cottage cheese, or cream cheese.
- Heat queso fresco-type and other soft cheeses until steaming.
- Pick a pasteurized hard cheese, such as cheddar, when the label is unclear.
When to contact a clinician
Contact your prenatal clinician if you ate a food discussed here and feel unwell, have been told you have a higher-risk pregnancy, or need advice for your individual circumstances. Seek urgent medical care for severe or rapidly worsening symptoms.
Browse by food
soft cheese · All foods →Sources and editorial context
The food advice and preparation steps draw on the references below. Follow the links if you would like to read the original guidance in full.
What changed · Split queso fresco-type cheeses from pasteurized feta and mozzarella, using the CDC pregnancy table and the FDA label check.
Can I Eat Editorial Team. Published for readers in United States. Content last updated 2026-10-18.
The package lists more than the cheese?
Search the food in Can I Eat for related pregnancy checks. The cheese type and pasteurized-milk line above still decide this serving.
Can I Eat provides general food safety information and dietary risk reminders only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis or a replacement for your clinician.