Is Parmesan safe during pregnancy?
Milk, cheese & dairy
Safe to eat
The NHS says hard cheeses such as parmesan are safe, pasteurised or not; the US CDC lists pasteurised hard cheese as a safer choice.[1,2,3]
What official sources say
NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy
- Cheese, milk and other dairy › Safe to eat: Hard cheeses such as cheddar, gruyère and parmesan are safe to eat in pregnancy, whether pasteurised or unpasteurised.[1]
US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women
- Safer Choice:
Hard cheese, when made with pasteurized milk, such as Asiago, Cheddar, Parmesan, or Swiss/Gruyere/Emmental
[2]
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)[3]
Nutrition per 100 g (USDA)
| Energy | 392 kcal |
| Protein | 35.75 g |
| Fibre | 0 g |
| Sugars | 0.11 g |
| Iron | 0.82 mg |
| Calcium | 1184 mg |
| Folate (DFE) | 7 µg |
| Folate, total | 7 µg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 207 µg |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg |
| Vitamin D | 0.5 µg |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.2 µg |
| Choline | 15.4 mg |
| DHA (omega-3) | 0 g |
| EPA (omega-3) | 0 g |
| Caffeine | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 1175 mg |
USDA FoodData Central: Cheese, parmesan, hard (FDC ID 170848), 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.
- 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.