Can you eat feta and goats' cheese when pregnant?

Find out if it's safe to eat feta and goats' cheese, including cooked feta, soft goats' cheese and cooked goats' cheese, during pregnancy. Plus, precautions to take to keep you and your baby healthy.

The official advice on eating feta and goats' cheese in pregnancy

While some type of goats' cheese are safe to eat in pregnancy, others are only suitable if they're thoroughly cooked. Here's everything you need to know:

Feta cheese

Good news! Feta cheese is safe to eat when you're pregnant, as long as it's made with pasteurised milk. You can eat pasteurised feta cold or cooked.

Pasteurised goats' cheese without a white rind

Pasteurised goats' cheese without a white rind is safe to eat cold or cooked when you're pregnant.

Goats' cheese with a white rind

Mould-ripened goats' cheese with a white rind is not safe to eat during pregnancy unless it's cooked until steaming hot.

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The NHS says this is because soft cheeses with a white coating on the outside contain a lot of moisture. This can make it easier for bacteria like listeria to grow. In rare cases, listeria can cause an infection called listeriosis. Listeriosis can make your unborn baby very unwell and may lead to miscarriage or stillbirth. The cooking process kills off bacteria.

Delicious feta recipes

Love feta? Why not try one of these great pregnancy-safe recipes?

• Stuffed peppers with tomato and feta
• Feta and broccoli quinoa
• Courgette, feta and almond muffins
• Feta and courgette tart
• Spanakopita

We like The Whole 9 Months, a week-by-week pregnancy nutrition guide, packed full of recipes and medical advice. See more details here at Amazon.

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Looking for more pregnancy diet info? Check out our articles below, or swap tips with other mums-to-be in our forum.

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