Can You Eat Goat's Cheese When Pregnant?
Written by Jordan Morley · Reviewed against NHS foods-to-avoid guidance · Last updated 28 October 2026
Soft goat's cheese with a white rind (like chèvre) should be avoided in pregnancy unless cooked; hard goat's cheese and rindless pasteurised soft goat's cheese are safe.
Why is goat's cheese a concern in pregnancy?
Goat's cheese covers several very different products. Mould-ripened goat's cheese with a soft white rind (chèvre) carries the same listeria risk as Brie and should be avoided unless thoroughly cooked. Hard goat's cheese is safe, and soft goat's cheese without a rind is safe as long as it's made from pasteurised milk.
You can also check the calorie content of goat's cheese alongside its safety information. Also check medication safety during pregnancy if you're managing any conditions.
The exception
Safe options: hard goat's cheese; pasteurised rindless soft goat's cheese; any goat's cheese cooked until piping hot (for example grilled chèvre served hot through).
The rule is about the white coating, not the goat
The NHS foods-to-avoid page (last reviewed 15 June 2026) draws the line at the rind. NHS Wales (23 July 2026) and nidirect (April 2025) use the same words:
| Goat's cheese | NHS wording | In pregnancy |
|---|---|---|
| Goats' cheese with no white coating (rind) on the outside, pasteurised | Listed with the pasteurised soft cheeses that are safe | Safe |
| Soft ripened goats' cheese with a white coating on the outside | Listed with 'any foods made from unpasteurised milk'; chèvre listed with brie and camembert as mould-ripened, 'pasteurised or unpasteurised', which 'must be thoroughly cooked' | Cook until steaming hot |
| Any goats' cheese cooked until steaming hot | 'any cheese that's been cooked until steaming hot, including soft or blue cheese' | Safe |
| Goats' milk, cream, yoghurt, butter or ice cream that is unpasteurised | 'including cows', sheep's and goats' milk' | Avoid |
The NHS does not mention hard goat's cheese or ash-coated logs. Ash is dark, not a white coating, but the page does not say how to treat it, so our treatment of the ash log in the pack table below is our reading, not NHS wording.
Three UK goat's cheese packs, read on 28 October 2026
| Pack | What the page says | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Sainsbury's Somerset Goats Cheese 100g: 'full fat soft goats' milk cheese', no rind mentioned | 'Made with pasteurised milk.' 'Once opened, use within 3 days.' 'Expectant mothers and those susceptible to infection should avoid eating this cheese.' | NHS group: rindless and pasteurised, safe. The label is stricter than the NHS |
| Chavroux La Buche Goats Cheese 150g: 'Soft Ripened Cheese made from Pasteurised Goats' Milk' | No pregnancy wording; 'Keep refrigerated between +2°C and +6°C'; no once-opened wording found | Soft ripened: look at the outside. If it has a white coating, cook it; if the log is plain, the NHS rindless rule applies. The page does not describe the rind |
| Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Ash Goats Cheese Log 100g: 'Full fat soft goat's cheese with ash' | 'Made with Pasteurised Goats' Milk.' 'once opened best within 3 days.' No pregnancy wording | Not covered by NHS wording. The cautious choice is to cook it |
Three packs, not the whole shelf. The point is the habit: read the pack for the milk (pasteurised or not), the rind, and any pregnancy line.
Why a US article can sound different
Healthline (29 May 2020, US) says 'All pasteurized goat cheeses — except surface-ripened ones — are safe to eat during pregnancy', describes surface-ripened goat cheese as having a soft white rind, and says to cook cheese to 165°F (74°C). The advice matches the NHS on the rind, but the cooking figure is a US one. The NHS says steaming hot, and the FSA's own figure is above 70°C for 2 minutes. Mother & Baby (undated) says goat's cheese is 'normally advised against' with rindless varieties presented as safe, without linking an NHS page.
Where you meet goat's cheese
| Dish | Verdict | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Goat's cheese tart, pizza or tartlet, baked | Fine | Hot and bubbling through the middle |
| Grilled goat's cheese on toast or on a salad (warm) | Fine if steaming hot | A warm edge with a cold centre is not enough |
| Cold crumbled goat's cheese on a salad or in a sandwich | Only if rindless and pasteurised | NHS: keep pre-packaged sandwiches and salads containing cheese chilled and eat before the use-by date |
| Slices cut from a white-rinded log, eaten cold | Avoid | Soft ripened with white coating |
| Fresh, rindless 'soft goat's cheese' tub, pasteurised | Safe on the NHS list; some packs warn anyway | See the pack table |
| Hard goat's cheese | Not covered by NHS wording | NHS lists cheddar, gruyère, parmesan as safe hard cheeses; ask the pack |
Goat's milk and yoghurt
Only unpasteurised goat's milk, cream, yoghurt, butter and ice cream are on the NHS avoid list. Pasteurised goat's milk is not. See goat's milk when pregnant and goat's cheese without rind.
Sources checked
Everything in the sections above was checked against these pages on 28 October 2026.
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy (page last reviewed 15 June 2026) — goats' cheese without white coating safe if pasteurised; soft ripened goats' cheese with white coating must be cooked; chèvre; unpasteurised goats' milk products avoid; cooked cheese safe; last reviewed 15 June 2026
- NHS Wales 111: Foods to avoid in pregnancy (last updated 23 July 2026) — same wording; updated 23 July 2026
- nidirect: Foods to avoid in pregnancy (page metadata modified 3 April 2025) — same wording; cooking cheese until steaming hot kills bacteria
- Sainsbury's: Somerset Goats Cheese 100g (product page) — pasteurised soft goats' cheese with 'expectant mothers' warning; once opened 3 days
- Sainsbury's: Chavroux La Buche Goats Cheese 150g (product page) — soft ripened pasteurised goats' cheese; refrigerate +2 to +6°C; no pregnancy wording
- Sainsbury's: Ash Goats Cheese Log, Taste the Difference 100g (product page) — pasteurised ash goat's cheese; once opened best within 3 days; no pregnancy wording
- Healthline: Can pregnant women eat goat cheese? (29 May 2020) — rival (US, 2020): pasteurised except surface-ripened safe; 165°F cooking
- Mother & Baby: Which cheese is safe to eat during pregnancy? (undated) — rival (undated): goat's cheese normally advised against; rindless varieties safe
- FSA / FSS report: The risk to vulnerable consumers from Listeria monocytogenes in blue cheese (PDF) — FSA figure: above 70°C for 2 minutes kills Listeria spp.
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Check Price →Goat's Cheese: the other answers on this site
| Question | Short answer (links to the full page) |
|---|---|
| While breastfeeding | Safe |
Common questions
Can I eat goat's cheese when pregnant?
Yes if it has no white coating (rind) and is pasteurised. The NHS says goats' cheese with a white coating must be thoroughly cooked.
Can I eat goat's cheese with a rind when pregnant?
Only cooked until steaming hot. The NHS lists soft ripened goats' cheese with a white coating among the foods that must be thoroughly cooked.
Is chèvre safe in pregnancy?
The NHS groups chèvre with brie and camembert as mould-ripened cheeses with a white coating that must be thoroughly cooked, whether pasteurised or not.
Why does my pasteurised goat's cheese say pregnant women should avoid it?
Some retailers are stricter than the NHS. One Sainsbury's rindless pasteurised goat's cheese pack tells expectant mothers to avoid it, although the NHS lists rindless pasteurised goats' cheese as safe.
Is baked goat's cheese safe when pregnant?
Yes if it is steaming hot all through. The NHS says any cheese cooked until steaming hot, including soft cheese, is safe.
Is ash-coated goat's cheese safe in pregnancy?
The NHS wording does not cover ash coatings. Cooking it until steaming hot removes the question.
Is goat's milk safe when pregnant?
Pasteurised goat's milk is not on the NHS avoid list; unpasteurised milk, cream, yoghurt, butter and ice cream including goats' are.
Related answers
Primary source: NHS foods-to-avoid guidance.
General information only, not medical advice: see the medical disclaimer. Feeling unwell after eating something? Contact NHS 111 or your GP.