U. S. Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
FDA Brochure: June 1996; Updated July 1997
Keep Your Baby Safe:
Eat Hard Cheeses Instead of Soft Cheeses During
Pregnancy
As a pregnant woman, eating for two, you should be aware that certain
soft cheeses can become contaminated with bacteria called
Listeria. . If you become sick from Listeria, the baby
you're carrying could get sick or die. To protect your unborn baby,
eat hard cheeses instead of soft cheeses while you are pregnant.
Soft cheeses that can easily become contaminated include:
Mexican-Style Soft Cheeses
- queso blanco
- queso fresco
- queso de hoja
- queso de crema
- asadero
Other Soft Cheeses
- feta (goat cheese)
- brie
- Camembert
- blue-veined cheeses, like Roquefort
Listeria can also contaminate other foods. Contaminated food may
not look, smell or taste different from uncontaminated food.
Symptoms of infection can develop from 2 to 30 days after you eat
contaminated food. If the infection spreads to your unborn baby, you
could start early labor. Tell your doctor right away if you get any
of these symptoms:
- fever and chills, or other flu-like symptoms
- headache
- nausea
- vomiting
Although Listeria bacteria are killed with thorough cooking,
these "tough bugs" can grow in the refrigerator and survive in the
freezer.
To prevent infection, take these precautions:
- Use hard cheeses, like cheddar, instead of soft cheeses during
pregnancy.
- If you do use soft cheeses during pregnancy, cook them until they
are boiling (bubbling).
- Use only pasteurized dairy products. It will state "pasteurized" on
the label.
- If you do use hard cheeses made from unpasteurized milk, use only
those marked "aged 60 days" (or longer).
- Eat only thoroughly cooked meat, poultry or seafood.
- Thoroughly reheat all meats purchased at deli
counters, including cured meats like salami, before eating them.
- Wash all fruits and vegetables with water.
- Follow label instructions on products that must be refrigerated or
that have a "use by" date.
- Keep the inside of the refrigerator, counter tops, and utensils
clean.
- After handling raw foods, wash your hands with warm soapy water, and
wash the utensil you used with hot soapy water before using them again.
Do you have any questions about Listeria? Call (1-800) FDA-4010.
Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Drug Administration (HFI-40)
5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857
DHHS Publication No. (FDA) 96-2304S
Additional
Information on listeria
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Hypertext updated by dms/ear 2000-JUL-07