Is Cottage cheese safe during pregnancy?
Milk, cheese & dairy
Safe when pasteurised
The NHS lists pasteurised cottage cheese as safe; the US CDC lists it as a safer choice when made with pasteurised milk.[1,2,3,4]
What official sources say
NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy
- Cheese, milk and other dairy › Safe to eat: Pasteurised soft cheeses are safe to eat in pregnancy, including cottage cheese, cream cheese, processed cheese spreads, mozzarella, feta, paneer, ricotta, mascarpone, halloumi, burrata and goats' cheese without a white rind.[1]
US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women
- Safer Choice:
Cottage cheese, cream cheese, string cheese, feta and mozzarella, when made with pasteurized milk
[2]
US CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection
- Choose these instead:
Cottage cheese, cream cheese, string cheese, feta, and mozzarella, when made with pasteurized milk
(advice for vulnerable people, including pregnant women)[3]
FSANZ: Food safety for vulnerable people
- Safer alternatives:
Hard cheeses, pasteurised cream cheese, plain cottage cheese, baked soft cheeses (cooked to an internal temperature of 75°C)
(advice for vulnerable people, including pregnant women)[4]
Nutrition per 100 g (USDA)
| Energy | 98 kcal |
| Protein | 11.12 g |
| Fibre | 0 g |
| Sugars | 2.67 g |
| Iron | 0.07 mg |
| Calcium | 83 mg |
| Folate (DFE) | 12 µg |
| Folate, total | 12 µg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 37 µg |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg |
| Vitamin D | 0.1 µg |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.43 µg |
| Choline | 18.4 mg |
| DHA (omega-3) | 0 g |
| EPA (omega-3) | 0 g |
| Caffeine | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 315 mg |
USDA FoodData Central: Cheese, cottage, creamed, large or small curd (FDC ID 172179), per 100 g. Public domain. Values describe that USDA record; composition varies with variety and preparation.
Sources
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
- US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women · cdc.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- US CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection · cdc.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- FSANZ: Food safety for vulnerable people · foodstandards.gov.au. © Food Standards Australia New Zealand, licensed under CC BY 4.0; quoted. No endorsement implied.
Sources checked 26 September 2026.
Quotes are checked word for word against each source page, and paraphrases against the original text. Official bodies are named as sources only: none of them reviewed or endorses this page.
Educational information, not medical advice. Your own doctor or midwife may advise differently for you — follow their advice.