Is goat cheese safe during pregnancy?

Goat cheese made from pasteurized milk is on the lower-risk side of the US Food and Drug Administration list for Listeria in pregnancy, and any cheese made from raw milk is on the higher-risk side. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists puts listeriosis at about 13 times more common in pregnancy than in the general population. Nobody has studied goat cheese in pregnant women directly. We found no randomized trial and no systematic review, so this answer rests on food safety studies and expert advice.

Not for everyone. The word that decides the answer is pasteurized. Raw goat milk products have been traced to Listeria, Brucella and E. coli O157. Read the label. If a goat cheese at a market or abroad has no label, treat it as raw milk. The CDC lists pasteurized soft cheese as a safer choice when it is heated to 165 F or until steaming hot.

How common listeriosis is, relative to the general population

A relative figure from a professional society, not a trial result, so no interval is drawn. We have no card giving the absolute number of cases per pregnancy, so this shows how much the risk rises, not how likely infection is. Source: card ev-gcpg-02 below.

What the studies found

There are no trials on this question and there will not be. Nobody would feed pregnant women a cheese to see whether it infects them. What exists is observational food safety evidence, and it answers two questions: is risky dairy linked to listeriosis in pregnancy, and does goat cheese carry the germs.

Risky dairy and listeriosis in pregnancy

A 2018 systematic review of 11 case-control and cross-sectional studies found that women with listeriosis in pregnancy, or whose fetus or newborn had it, were more likely to have eaten high-risk dairy products, meat products or some fruits. The review gives no pooled number and does not single out goat cheese. An umbrella review of 9 systematic reviews found that prevention in pregnant women rested on strict dietary advice, such as reheating leftovers until steaming and avoiding unpasteurised dairy.

What turns up in goat cheese

The direct evidence on goat cheese is small and comes from outbreaks and farms. In a Norwegian survey of small-scale raw milk cheesemaking, no goat cheese carried Listeria monocytogenes and one cow cheese did, 1.4 percent. That is one country and small farms, and it does not show that raw goat cheese is safe in general. A risk model of a Belgian contamination episode on one farm estimated that Listeria grew by a median 2.2 log while raw goat milk was chilled and stored before cheesemaking.

Raw goat cheese carries other infections too. In a 2002 brucellosis outbreak in Andalucia, people who ate unpasteurised goat cheese from one farmhouse had 21.6 times the odds of illness, with a confidence interval from 1.6 to 639.8. That is an odds ratio from 11 cases, and the interval is very wide. On Namibian farms, people with brucellosis shared a history of unpasteurised goat milk and home made goat cheese, which suggested goats as the source without proving it. In France, a family cluster of three E. coli O157 infections, two of them with hemolytic uremic syndrome, was traced to fresh unpasteurised goat cheese from an independent producer. None of these were studies of pregnant women.

Who should be careful

This page is about one group. Pregnant women are the people the listeriosis advice exists for, because infection can reach the fetus and the newborn.

Not for everyone. If you have already eaten a goat cheese that was later recalled or linked to an outbreak and you have no symptoms, ACOG says no testing, including blood and stool cultures, and no treatment is needed. That advice comes from a professional society opinion and covers only women without symptoms. If you do have symptoms, it does not apply, and that is a conversation with the person looking after your pregnancy now.

Allergy to goat cheese exists and is separate from cow milk allergy. Two case reports describe people, one of them a 2-year-old boy, who reacted to goat and sheep cheese while tolerating cow milk products. In one of them goat casein was identified as the allergen. These are single cases, and they are not about pregnancy.

What expert bodies say

The FDA lists any cheese made from unpasteurised raw milk as a higher-risk food for Listeria, and cheese made from pasteurized milk, other than queso fresco types, as lower risk. The CDC lists pasteurized soft cheese heated to 165 F or until steaming hot as a safer choice in pregnancy. Neither agency names goat cheese, and soft goat cheese falls under soft cheese. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that raw milk and milk products from cows, goats and sheep remain a source of Listeria, Campylobacter, Salmonella, Brucella and E. coli O157. We found no body on our trusted list that disagrees.

How we searched

Searched: a local copy of the PubMed baseline for goat cheese with Listeria, listeriosis or pregnancy (5 records) and for listeriosis in pregnancy (63). The same copy for goat milk or cheese with Brucella, Listeria, Toxoplasma or Q fever in pregnancy (2) and for goat cheese with Listeria, Brucella or outbreaks (12). Two systematic reviews outside the local copy were fetched from Europe PMC. ClinicalTrials.gov for Listeria and pregnancy found no trials. Web searches turned up blogs and aggregators but no new primary source. We read the CDC page on food for pregnant women directly. All included papers were checked against Retraction Watch. Searches run on 6 October 2026.

Included: one systematic review of diet and listeriosis in pregnancy, one umbrella review, the ACOG committee opinion, the AAP policy statement, a Norwegian survey of raw milk cheese, a French E. coli O157 cluster and the CDC guidance. From our goat cheese page we also used the Andalucian and Namibian brucellosis reports, the Belgian Listeria model, two allergy case reports and the FDA advice. No randomized trial and no systematic review of goat cheese in pregnant women was found.

Excluded: a meta-analysis of listeriosis prevalence in African pregnancies that was not about cheese, an older review with no cheese data in its abstract and a camel milk brucellosis study. Also sources already used on our feta and brie pages, NHS advice, which is not on our trusted list, and blogs and aggregators.

What we read: abstracts for all the studies, and the CDC page itself.

What we could not get: the 2003 FDA and USDA quantitative risk ranking for Listeria, the original source of figures often quoted for how much more likely pregnant women are to get listeriosis. We also found no data on Listeria growth in soft-ripened goat cheese with a white rind.

What would change this answer

Surveys of Listeria in pasteurized goat cheese sold in shops. The contamination data above come from raw milk on small farms and cannot tell you how often a supermarket pack is contaminated.
Data on Listeria in soft-ripened goat cheese with a white rind. We found none, so this page cannot say whether that style differs from fresh goat cheese.
An absolute risk of listeriosis per pregnancy, or per serving of cheese. The 13 times figure says how much the risk rises, not how large it is.
No trial is coming. This is a food safety question, and the answer will improve through surveillance rather than experiments.

For what goat cheese provides and the rest of its evidence, see the goat cheese page.

The food behind this question

Goat cheese: ordinary cheese, with a raw-milk caveat — numbers, evidence and safety

The same question for other foods (pregnancy)

Sources

ev-gcpg-01 · Observational data · systematic review of case-control and cross-sectional studies · n = 11 articles
Cases of maternal, fetal or neonate listeriosis were more likely to have consumed high-risk dairy products, meat products or some fruits during pregnancy in comparison with women without listeriosis.
Who: pregnant women or their newborns with known listeriosis status and a nutritional exposure in international recommendations, searched to July 2017
Effect: higher consumption of high-risk dairy, meat products and some fruits among cases; narrative synthesis, no pooled estimate
Certainty: Narrative synthesis, no number; goat cheese not singled out. Supports advice to avoid "high-risk" dairy.
J Nutr Sci, 2018, Nutrition and listeriosis during pregnancy: a systematic review · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
ev-gcpg-02 · Position of an expert body · professional society committee opinion · n = —
The incidence of listeriosis associated with pregnancy is approximately 13 times higher than in the general population.
Who: pregnant women
Effect: pregnancy-associated incidence about 13 times higher than general population
Certainty: CDC on its page gives "10 times" (brie-daily-r4-17); the discrepancy in the figure between agencies is 10 versus 13, the order is the same.
Obstet Gynecol, 2014 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
ev-gcpg-03 · Position of an expert body · professional society committee opinion · n = —
No testing, including blood and stool cultures, or treatment is indicated for an asymptomatic pregnant woman who reports consumption of a product that was recalled or implicated during an outbreak of listeria contamination.
Who: pregnant women with presumptive exposure to Listeria monocytogenes
Effect: asymptomatic: no blood or stool cultures, no treatment
Certainty: Practical advice in case she has already eaten a risky cheese; does not replace a doctor.
Obstet Gynecol, 2014 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
ev-gcpg-04 · Position of an expert body · professional society policy statement · n = —
Raw milk and milk products from cows, goats, and sheep continue to be a source of bacterial infections attributable to a number of virulent pathogens, including Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella species, Brucella species, and Escherichia coli O157.
Who: pregnant women, infants and children in the United States
Effect: raw goat milk products named as a source of five pathogen groups; pasteurized milk said to give equivalent benefits without the infection risk
Pediatrics, 2014 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
ev-gcpg-05 · Observational data · umbrella review of systematic reviews · n = 9 reviews
Prevention in pregnant women was based on adherence to strict dietary recommendations, such as reheating leftovers until steamed and avoiding unpasteurised dairy products.
Who: 9 systematic reviews covering 330 studies and 487 patients
Effect: prevention by dietary recommendations
Certainty: Review of reviews of descriptive data; other sentences of this review are already in brie-daily-r4-14 and ev-fetapg-04.
BJOG, 2022 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
ev-gcpg-06 · Observational data · prevalence survey of production samples · n = —
There was no contamination of L. monocytogenes in caprine cheeses and only one (1.4%) contaminated bovine cheese.
Who: small-scale raw milk cheese production in Norway, bovine and caprine milk, curd and cheese
Effect: L. monocytogenes in 0 caprine cheeses and 1 bovine cheese (1.4%)
Certainty: One country, small farms; the absence of Listeria here does not mean raw goat cheese is safe in general (see the Belgian episode in goat cheese daily).
Food Microbiol, 2011 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
ev-gcpg-07 · Laboratory or animal data · outbreak case report · n = 3
The source was fresh unpasteurized goats' cheese, produced by an independent producer.
Who: family cluster of three cases, France
Effect: 2 of 3 cases developed hemolytic-uremic syndrome; matching strains in a goat and a cow
Certainty: Not about pregnancy; shows that fresh raw goat cheese carries more than just Listeria.
Epidemiol Infect, 2006 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
ev-gcpg-08 · Position of an expert body · agency guidance · n = —
Pasteurized soft cheeses heated to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot
Who: pregnant women, CDC food safety guidance
Effect: heating pasteurized soft cheese to 165 F listed as safer
Certainty: CDC does not name goat cheese separately; soft goat cheese (chèvre) falls under "soft cheese." Raw milk is among the risk items (ev-fetapg-09).
CDC, Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the section
gtch-daily-r5-03 · Observational data · outbreak case-control study · n = 11 cases
Persons having eaten unpasteurized raw goat cheese produced in a farmhouse located in the epidemic territory, were at higher risk for presenting brucellosis (OR=21.6, IC95%=1.6-639.8).
Who: 11 brucellosis cases and controls, Cordoba, Spain, 2002
Effect: OR 21.6 (95% CI 1.6-639.8)
Certainty: very wide CI, small outbreak; OR = odds, not risk
Euro Surveill, 2003 · checked 2026-09-29 · we read the abstract
gtch-daily-r5-05 · Laboratory or animal data · quantitative microbial risk assessment model · n = —
The model showed significant growth of L. monocytogenes during chilling and storage of the milk collected the day before the cheese production (median increase of 2.2 log CFU/ml) and during the addition of starter and rennet to milk (median increase of 1.2 log CFU/ml).
Who: raw goat milk cheese production chain, Belgium, 2005 episode
Effect: median +2.2 log CFU/ml during milk chilling and storage; +1.2 log with starter and rennet; fresh cheese 3.8 log CFU/g (observed 3.6)
Certainty: model of one episode, one farm; not epidemiology
J Food Prot, 2012 · checked 2026-09-29 · we read the abstract
gtch-daily-r5-06 · Laboratory or animal data · case series · n = 1
This patient developed allergy to goat and sheep cheese with good tolerance to cow's milk. We identified goat casein as the main allergen causing sensitization in this patient as demonstrated by in vivo and in vitro tests.
Who: one patient
Effect: IgE to goat and sheep casein strongly positive, negative to cow casein
Certainty: one case; level open (K-143)
Clin Exp Allergy, 1999 · checked 2026-09-29 · we read the abstract
gtch-daily-r5-07 · Laboratory or animal data · case series · n = 1
We describe a 2-year-old boy who experienced allergic reactions after eating and touching sheep's cheese, but who tolerated cow's milk and cow's milk dairy products. ... Prick-by-prick tests were positive to goat's and sheep's cheese and were negative to cow's cheese.
Who: one 2-year-old boy
Effect: prick-by-prick positive to goat and sheep cheese, negative to cow cheese
Certainty: one case; level open (K-143)
Allergol Immunopathol (Madr), 2004 · checked 2026-09-29 · we read the abstract
gtch-daily-r5-08 · Observational data · seroepidemiological investigation · n = 137
Interviews revealed that besides the case that prompted the investigation, a family and another person from other farms with confirmed brucellosis shared a common history of consumption of unpasteurised goat milk, home-made goat cheese and coffee with raw milk and prior contact with goats, suggesting goats as the likely source of infection.
Who: farm families, goats, sheep, cattle, springbok and 137 abattoir workers, Namibia
Effect: seropositive goats on 2 of 4 farms (26/42 and 12/285); source suggested, not proven
Certainty: association at the interview level; Brucella species not established
J S Afr Vet Assoc, 2011 · checked 2026-09-29 · we read the abstract
gtch-daily-r5-10 · Position of an expert body · agency guidance · n = —
Any type of cheese made with unpasteurized (raw) milk ... Cheeses made with pasteurized milk, other than queso fresco-type cheeses
Who: pregnant women, newborns, older adults, people with weakened immune systems
Effect: agency advice; no effect size
Certainty: T2 position; FDA page updated 01/16/2025; CDC Listeria prevention says the same
US FDA, What You Need to Know about Preventing Listeria Infections, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29 · we read the section

How this page was made. Evidence was extracted from primary sources into cards, every number was re-checked against the source, and the text was written from those cards. Bioma Learn has no human medical reviewer at this time, and we say so rather than invent one. Methodology. This is information, not medical advice.