The short answer

Hard cheeses such as cheddar, parmesan and gruyère are safe in pregnancy, even if unpasteurised. Pasteurised soft cheeses such as mozzarella, burrata, feta, halloumi, paneer, ricotta, mascarpone, cream cheese and cottage cheese are safe too. Brie, camembert, chèvre and other soft cheeses with a white rind, and blue cheeses such as gorgonzola, roquefort and Danish blue, are only safe once cooked until steaming hot. Avoid unpasteurised soft cheese unless it is thoroughly cooked.

Our pregnancy food safety checklist gives the headline rules for every food group. Here we go cheese by cheese, because that is how the question comes up: at the deli counter, on a menu, or wondering whether last night's halloumi wrap was a mistake. It wasn't, if the halloumi was pasteurised.

The three NHS cheese rules

The NHS foods to avoid page, last reviewed on 15 June 2026, sorts cheese into a few clear groups.

1. 1Hard cheese is fine, pasteurised or notCheddar, gruyère and parmesan are the NHS examples. Pasteurised semi-hard cheeses, such as edam, are also fine.
2. 2Pasteurised soft cheese is fineCottage cheese, cream cheese, cheese spreads, mozzarella, feta, paneer, ricotta, mascarpone, halloumi, burrata, and goats' cheese without a white rind.
3. 3White-rind and blue cheeses only when cookedMould-ripened soft cheeses with a white coating (brie, camembert, chèvre) and soft blue-veined cheeses (Danish blue, gorgonzola, roquefort) must be thoroughly cooked, whether they are pasteurised or not.

Also, anything made from unpasteurised milk, including unpasteurised soft cheese, should be thoroughly cooked, and unpasteurised milk, cream, yoghurt, butter and ice cream avoided. One rule rescues almost everything: any cheese cooked until steaming hot is safe, including soft and blue cheese. Pasteurisation does not rescue rule 3: a pasteurised brie still needs cooking.

Why soft and blue cheeses are treated differently

The concern is listeria, a bacterium that causes an infection called listeriosis. Listeriosis is rare, and for most people it is mild. In pregnancy, though, the NHS warns it can cause miscarriage or stillbirth, or make a newborn baby very unwell.

Three things decide the risk:

• Moisture. Soft cheeses with a white coating have more moisture, and NI Direct (the Northern Ireland government site) explains that this makes it easier for bacteria to grow. Hard cheeses are much drier, which is why the NHS is happy for you to eat them even when they are made with unpasteurised milk.
• Acidity. A 2023 Food Standards Agency risk assessment found that most semi-soft cheeses do not let listeria grow, but blue cheeses may be the exception: their acidity and moisture levels can support its growth. That is why blue cheese stays on the "cook it" list.
• Pasteurisation. Heat-treating milk kills bacteria before the cheese is made. Unpasteurised (raw milk) dairy may contain listeria, which is why the NHS asks you to avoid raw milk products or cook them thoroughly.

Cooking cheese until steaming hot kills bacteria, which is why baked camembert or a blue cheese sauce is fine when the cold versions are not.

Is my cheese safe?

Answer up to four quick questions about the cheese in front of you. Based on the NHS rules above.

Question 1

Is it a hard cheese, like cheddar, parmesan or gruyère?

Not a blue cheese. Firm enough to grate.

YesNoNot sure

A quick check only, with nothing saved. The Pregnancy Food Safety course has the full cheese checker, with safe swaps and eating-out scenarios.

Cheese by cheese: what UK shoppers actually meet

Where the rule depends on pasteurisation, the entry says check the label. The NHS notes most UK supermarket dairy is pasteurised, but deli, farm-shop and imported cheeses vary, so the packet has the final word.

Cheese in dishes: pizza, sauces, cheesecake and tiramisu

Once cheese is cooked, the question becomes "was it hot enough?". Steaming hot all the way through is the test.

How to read a UK cheese label for pasteurisation

For most cheeses in rule 2, the label is your answer. Here is where to look:

1. The ingredients list. It usually starts with the milk: look for "pasteurised cows' milk", "pasteurised goats' milk" or "pasteurised sheep's milk". If the milk just says "milk", read the rest of the pack.
2. The front or back description. Phrases such as "made with pasteurised milk" or, on the other side, "made with unpasteurised milk" or "raw milk" are often printed near the product name or the storage instructions.
3. Imported cheese. If the label is in another language and you cannot confirm the milk was pasteurised, treat it as unknown.
4. Cheese counters and markets. Ask the staff whether the cheese is made with pasteurised milk. If nobody knows, choose a hard cheese instead or save it for a hot dish.

Illustrative labels, not real products. The FSA requires raw drinking milk to carry the warning "This milk has not been heat treated and may therefore contain organisms harmful to health". Cheese is labelled differently, so read the ingredients.

Also keep ready-to-eat cheese in a fridge at 5C or below and eat it before its use-by date. The NHS listeriosis advice says to eat chilled foods within 4 hours of taking them out of the fridge. For a closer look, see our guide: What to Eat in a Day When Pregnant.

Cheeseboards, restaurants and cheese abroad

A cheeseboard at a party

Hard cheeses such as cheddar, Red Leicester and parmesan are fine. Skip the cold brie, camembert, rinded goats' cheese and any blue. For anything soft without a rind, ask whether it is pasteurised. A board that has sat out all evening has passed the NHS 4-hour guide for chilled food.

Eating out in the UK

Hot dishes are the easy win: baked camembert, blue cheese sauce or a goats' cheese tart served steaming hot. For cold dishes, ask whether burrata, feta or goats' cheese is pasteurised. If the kitchen cannot say, choose something else.

On holiday

The NHS rules travel with you, but the shortcut that most UK supermarket dairy is pasteurised does not. Stick to hard cheeses and hot cheese dishes when you cannot check. Foreign pregnancy websites may give different advice from the NHS.

I ate cold brie or blue cheese. What now?

Try not to worry. The NHS says that if you have already had a small amount of a food to avoid in pregnancy, it is unlikely to affect your baby if you did not get ill. Listeriosis is rare.

Every cheese, swap and scenario, in one place

The Pregnancy Food Safety course (Focused, 2 hours, £12.99) covers soft cheese, runny eggs, fish, caffeine and takeaways, with a full cheese checker, safe swaps and what to order when eating out.

See the courseComplete Pregnancy Nutrition (£24.99)

Want the full picture beyond cheese? The pregnancy food safety checklist covers eggs, meat and drinks, and our guide to fish in pregnancy goes deep on smoked salmon, sushi and tuna. Browse all pregnancy courses.

Questions people ask

Sources

• NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy (page last reviewed 15 June 2026)
• NHS: Listeriosis
• NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy
• Food Standards Agency: Risk assessment for vulnerable consumers from Listeria monocytogenes in blue cheese (30 November 2023)
• Food Standards Agency: Raw drinking milk and cream controls
• NI Direct (Northern Ireland government): Foods to avoid in pregnancy

This article is general information based on UK public health guidance. It is not medical advice. If you have a health condition, an allergy or questions about your own pregnancy, speak to your midwife, GP or pharmacist.