Blue cheese is generally not considered safe during pregnancy unless it has been cooked until steaming hot. Both the CDC and NHS list blue-veined cheeses as a riskier food choice for pregnant women because their high moisture content creates an environment where Listeria bacteria can grow more easily. The good news: you don’t have to give up blue cheese entirely for nine months if you’re willing to heat it properly.
Why Blue Cheese Is a Concern
The issue isn’t the mold that gives blue cheese its flavor. It’s a type of bacteria called Listeria that can sometimes grow in soft, high-moisture cheeses. Soft cheeses with a white coating or visible veining tend to hold more moisture than hard cheeses, and that moisture makes a hospitable environment for bacterial growth.
Listeria infection is rare in the general population, but pregnant women are significantly more vulnerable. You might only experience mild symptoms like fever, fatigue, and muscle aches, which makes it easy to dismiss. But the bacteria can cross the placenta and reach your baby even when you feel fine. According to the CDC, 1 in 4 pregnant women who develop a Listeria infection lose their pregnancy or their baby shortly after birth. The infection can also cause premature delivery or a life-threatening infection in the newborn.
A 2024 FDA investigation into a Listeria outbreak linked to soft cheeses tallied 26 cases across 11 states, with 23 hospitalizations and two deaths. Most of those cases involved unpasteurized soft cheeses, reinforcing why health authorities take this risk seriously.
Which Blue Cheeses to Avoid
The NHS specifically names Gorgonzola, Roquefort, and Danish blue as cheeses to avoid during pregnancy unless cooked. Notably, this applies whether the cheese is made from pasteurized or unpasteurized milk. That’s an important distinction: even pasteurized blue cheese carries risk when eaten cold or at room temperature, because the soft, moist texture still allows bacteria to grow after production.
The CDC takes a similar position, listing “blue-veined cheese” alongside brie and Camembert as riskier choices. Their guidance specifies that pasteurized soft cheeses are only considered a safer choice when heated to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot.
How to Eat Blue Cheese Safely
Cooking is the key. Heating blue cheese to 165°F (steaming hot) kills Listeria bacteria and makes it safe to eat. This means blue cheese melted into a hot pasta sauce, baked on top of a pizza, stirred into a soup, or used in a fully cooked gratin is fine. The cheese needs to be visibly steaming, not just slightly warm.
A crumble of cold blue cheese on a salad doesn’t count. Neither does a room-temperature cheese board. The heat needs to be thorough, not a quick pass under a broiler that only warms the surface. If the cheese is bubbling and steaming throughout, you’re in safe territory.
Pasteurized vs. Unpasteurized: Does It Matter?
Pasteurization reduces risk, but it doesn’t eliminate it for soft cheeses. That’s why the NHS warns against both pasteurized and unpasteurized soft blue cheeses when eaten uncooked. Listeria can be introduced after pasteurization during aging, handling, or packaging, and the moist environment of a soft blue cheese lets it multiply.
For hard cheeses, pasteurization is more protective because the low moisture content itself discourages bacterial growth. That’s why hard pasteurized cheeses are considered safe without cooking. But for blue cheese, pasteurization alone isn’t enough to put it in the safe category during pregnancy.
When shopping, check the label for the word “pasteurized.” U.S. federal standards require cheese labels to indicate whether they’re made with pasteurized or raw milk. Cheeses made from raw milk must be aged at least 60 days, but that aging requirement doesn’t apply to all blue cheese varieties, and it doesn’t guarantee safety for pregnant women regardless.
Cheeses You Can Eat Without Worry
If you’re craving cheese but don’t want to bother with temperature checks, hard cheeses are your safest bet. Cheddar, Parmesan, Gouda, Gruyère, Manchego, Edam, and Pecorino are all considered safe during pregnancy. Their low moisture content makes them inhospitable to Listeria even without cooking.
Several soft and processed cheeses also get the green light because of how they’re made: cream cheese, cottage cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, mascarpone, Boursin, and Quark are all considered safe options. These are typically consumed fresh and have different moisture and acidity profiles than ripened soft cheeses.
Halloumi, feta (when commercially produced and pasteurized), and paneer are also safe choices. If you’re missing that tangy, sharp flavor blue cheese provides, aged cheddar or Parmesan can sometimes scratch the same itch in salads and pasta dishes.
The Bottom Line on Blue Cheese
Cold blue cheese is off the table during pregnancy. Cooked blue cheese, heated until steaming hot at 165°F, is considered safe by both the CDC and NHS. This applies to all varieties, whether pasteurized or not, including Stilton, Gorgonzola, Roquefort, and Danish blue. If you’re unsure whether a dish was cooked hot enough, skip it. The risk is low in absolute terms, but the potential consequences are severe enough that health authorities worldwide agree it’s not worth taking.