Can you eat goat cheese while pregnant?

Yes, some goat cheese can be eaten during pregnancy, but the type matters. Current NHS guidance says pasteurised goat cheese without a white coating on the outside is safe to eat. Soft ripened goat cheese with a white rind, such as chèvre, needs to be thoroughly cooked until steaming hot before you eat it.

This distinction can make goat cheese seem more complicated than it really is. A pasteurised, rindless goat cheese is generally fine cold. A mould-ripened goat cheese with a white coating needs cooking, even if the milk used to make it was pasteurised.

If you are unsure which type you have, check the label or ask the retailer or restaurant before eating it.

Which goat cheese can you eat during pregnancy?

The NHS specifically lists pasteurised goat cheese without a white coating on the outside among the soft cheeses that are safe during pregnancy.

So a pasteurised, rindless goat cheese can be eaten without cooking.

The NHS advises more caution with soft ripened goat cheese that has a white coating on the outside. Chèvre is given as an example. These cheeses should be thoroughly cooked until steaming hot.

Unpasteurised milk, cream, yoghurt, butter and ice cream should be avoided during pregnancy. Soft ripened goat cheese made from unpasteurised milk also needs to be thoroughly cooked.

The useful questions are therefore:

Is the goat cheese pasteurised?
Does it have a white mould-ripened rind?
If it is a soft ripened cheese, has it been cooked until steaming hot?

These checks are more reliable than assuming all goat cheese follows one rule.

Does goat cheese need to be pasteurised?

For rindless soft goat cheese that you want to eat without cooking, choose a pasteurised product.

The NHS lists pasteurised goat cheese without a white coating as safe to eat during pregnancy.

Most dairy products sold in UK supermarkets are pasteurised, according to the NHS, but it is still worth checking the packaging.

You may find unpasteurised cheeses at farm shops, markets, delis or specialist retailers. If the label says raw milk or unpasteurised milk, do not assume it is suitable to eat cold simply because it is goat cheese.

If you cannot tell how a cheese has been made, ask the retailer or choose a clearly labelled pasteurised option.

What about chèvre during pregnancy?

The word chèvre simply means goat in French, but it is commonly used for soft French-style goat cheese.

If the chèvre has a white mould-ripened coating on the outside, NHS guidance says it should be thoroughly cooked before eating during pregnancy. This applies whether the cheese is pasteurised or unpasteurised.

That means cold slices of mould-ripened chèvre on a cheeseboard or salad are not recommended.

If the cheese has been cooked until steaming hot throughout, it can be eaten.

Not every product labelled goat cheese or chèvre looks the same, so check the rind and packaging rather than relying on the name alone.

Can you eat cooked goat cheese?

Yes. The NHS says any cheese that has been cooked until steaming hot can be eaten during pregnancy, including soft and blue cheeses.

Cooking is particularly relevant for mould-ripened goat cheeses with a white rind.

A baked goat cheese dish can therefore be suitable if the cheese has been heated thoroughly until steaming hot throughout.

Lightly warming the outside is not the same as thoroughly cooking the cheese. If you are following a recipe, make sure the cheese is properly heated before serving.

If you are eating out and the dish contains a soft ripened goat cheese, you can ask whether it has been cooked thoroughly.

Can you eat goat cheese in a salad?

It depends on the goat cheese.

A salad containing pasteurised goat cheese without a white rind can be eaten during pregnancy. If the salad contains cold mould-ripened chèvre with a white coating, that cheese should be avoided unless it has first been thoroughly cooked until steaming hot.

The salad ingredients need attention too. NHS pregnancy guidance advises washing fruit, vegetables and salad vegetables thoroughly before eating them.

Pre-packaged salads should be kept chilled and eaten before their use-by date.

If you are ordering a goat cheese salad in a restaurant and cannot tell which type of cheese is being used, asking whether it is pasteurised and whether it has a mould-ripened rind can clarify whether it is suitable.

Can you eat goat cheese on pizza?

Yes, provided the type of goat cheese has been prepared appropriately.

Pasteurised rindless goat cheese is already considered safe under NHS pregnancy guidance.

If the pizza contains mould-ripened goat cheese with a white rind, it should be cooked until steaming hot.

A cheese that has been thoroughly baked as part of a freshly cooked pizza may therefore be suitable. Be more cautious if slices of mould-ripened goat cheese are added after the pizza comes out of the oven or are only gently warmed.

Other pizza toppings may have their own pregnancy food safety considerations, so check those separately.

Is hard goat cheese safe during pregnancy?

NHS pregnancy guidance says pasteurised or unpasteurised hard cheeses, such as cheddar, Gruyère and parmesan, are safe to eat.

If you have a hard goat cheese rather than a soft ripened variety, the category of cheese is therefore important.

Products can vary considerably, and names alone are not always enough to identify how a cheese has been made. Check the label if you are uncertain whether a goat cheese is hard, soft, pasteurised or mould-ripened.

If the packaging does not make this clear, a retailer, manufacturer, midwife or pharmacist can help you check a particular product.

Why are some goat cheeses treated differently?

The concern is listeria, not goat’s milk itself.

The NHS says unpasteurised or soft ripened dairy foods may contain listeria bacteria, which can cause listeriosis. Soft mould-ripened cheeses can provide conditions in which listeria is more likely to grow.

Listeriosis is rare, but pregnant people are at higher risk of serious problems from the infection. During pregnancy it can also cause serious complications.

Thorough cooking until steaming hot kills listeria bacteria, which is why mould-ripened soft goat cheeses can be eaten once properly cooked.

Pasteurised goat cheese without a white rind does not need that additional cooking step under current NHS guidance.

What if you already ate goat cheese and are not sure what type it was?

It is easy to eat something and only later realise there is pregnancy-specific guidance around it.

If you recently ate a food associated with listeria, the NHS says you do not need to do anything unless you develop symptoms of listeriosis. These foods do not always contain listeria.

If you still have the packaging, check whether the cheese was pasteurised and whether it was a mould-ripened variety. If you ate it in a restaurant, you may also be able to ask what product was used.

Do not try to diagnose an infection based on the type or amount of cheese you ate.

If you become unwell or remain concerned about your individual circumstances, contact your midwife, GP or NHS 111 for advice.

When to get professional advice

You do not normally need professional advice simply because you have eaten pasteurised goat cheese without a white rind.

If you have eaten uncooked mould-ripened goat cheese or an unpasteurised soft goat cheese and are concerned, contact your midwife or GP for advice, particularly if you develop symptoms.

The NHS advises asking for an urgent GP appointment or contacting NHS 111 if you are pregnant and think you have listeriosis. Possible symptoms include a high temperature, aches and pains, chills, feeling or being sick and diarrhoea. During pregnancy, stomach ache or noticing your baby moving less than usual can also occur.

You can also contact your midwife if you think you may have listeriosis.

Call 999 or go to A&E if you develop symptoms of a serious emergency, such as a severe headache with a stiff neck, a seizure, sudden confusion, being very difficult to wake or a rash that does not fade when a glass is rolled over it.