Is Queso fresco safe during pregnancy?
Milk, cheese & dairy
Official sources differ
The official sources below do not agree, so each position is shown with who holds it.[1,2,3,4]
- US CDC: Any queso fresco-type cheese is a riskier choice unless heated, even if made with pasteurised milk.
- US FDA: Avoid queso fresco unless it is made with pasteurised milk.
What official sources say
US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women
- Riskier Choice:
Any queso fresco-type cheese, when made with pasteurized or unpasteurized (raw) milk, such as queso fresco, queso blanco, requesón, or similar fresh, soft cheeses
[1] - Riskier Choice:
Soft cheese made from unpasteurized (raw) milk—for example, queso fresco, brie, camembert, and blue-veined cheese
[1]
US CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection
- Avoid:
Any unheated queso fresco-type cheeses, when made with pasteurized or unpasteurized (raw) milk, such as queso fresco, or similar fresh, soft cheeses such as queso blanco and requesón.
(advice for vulnerable people, including pregnant women)[2]
US FDA: Ready-to-Eat Foods (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
- Don't eat:
Soft cheeses like Feta, Brie, and Camembert, "blue-veined cheeses," or "queso blanco," "queso fresco," or Panela - unless they're made with pasteurized milk.
[3]
US FDA: Dairy and Eggs (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
If you enjoy making your own cheeses at home, be sure to use pasteurized milk.
[4]
Related general rules
US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women
- Safer Choice:
Pasteurized soft cheeses heated to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot
[1]
Sources
- 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.
- US FDA: Ready-to-Eat Foods (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be) · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- US FDA: Dairy and Eggs (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be) · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; 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.