mum2be.ie - Pregnancy and Baby Forums

[mom2be84]

Does anyone know if its safe to eat cooked or baked Brie???

[pebbles]

think i heard that its better to steer clear, not that its dangerous raw but its an unpasteurised cheese! not sure if the cooking process would make up for pasteurization. xx

[babymakes3]

I haven't eaten it myself but have heard that if its cook it kills the bacteria same as pasturisation would!

[sunshine]

Found this article that might be of some use to you hun, looks like you can eat brie if it is cooked right through....

You can eat some cheeses when you're pregnant, and cheese is great source of calcium. However, some cheeses are not safe to eat. Unsafe cheeses are more likely to grow bacteria such as listeria, which can harm your unborn baby.

These cheeses are not safe for you while you're pregnant:
Soft, mould-ripened cheeses, such as brie, camembert and chevre (a type of goat's cheese).

Blue-veined cheeses, such as danish blue and stilton.
Even if these cheeses are pasteurised, they still aren't safe to eat. That's because they are more moist and less acidic than other cheeses. It's this moistness and acidity which provide the perfect environment for listeria bacteria to grow.

If you become infected with listeria, you can get an illness called listeriosis. This causes flu-like symptoms that develop several weeks after you've been exposed to the bacteria. Even though listeriosis a fairly mild illness for you, it can cause serious health problems for your baby. It can even lead to miscarriage, or the loss of a baby at birth.

However, you can eat these cheeses if you cook them thoroughly, as this will kill any listeria. Just make sure you've cooked the cheese until it's piping hot all the way through, and it hasn't just melted.


Here's a guide to which cheeses are safe and which are unsafe during pregnancy:

Safe cheeses in pregnancy
Hard cheeses: smoked versions, caerphilly, cheddar, cheshire, derby, double gloucester, edam, emmental, English goat's cheddar, feta, gouda, gruyere, halloumi, havarti, jarlsberg, lancashire, manchego, orkney, paneer, parmesan, pecorino (hard), provolone, red leicester.

Soft, processed cheeses: garlic and herb roulade, cottage cheese, cream cheese, feta, goat's cheese without a white rind, mascarpone, mozzarella, processed cheese (such as cheese spread and cheese segments), quark, ricotta.

Yoghurts, probiotic drinks, fromage frais, soured cream and creme fraiche are all safe to eat. These include any variety, including natural, flavoured and live versions.

Unsafe cheeses in pregnancy
Mould-ripened soft cheeses: brie, blue brie, cambozola, camembert, chaumes, chevre (goat's cheese with a white rind), pont l'eveque, taleggio, vacherin-fribourgeois.

Blue-veined cheeses: bergader, bleu d'auvergne, blue wensleydale, shropshire blue, danish blue, dolcelatte, gorgonzola, roncal, roquefort, stilton, tomme.

Soft, unpasteurised cheese, including goat's and sheep's cheeses: chabichou, pyramide, torta del cesar.