Just ate a goat's cheese salad... eek!

[NooNooHead1981]

Oh bugger... I just had a goat's cheese salad from M&S not realising it is on the list of forbidden foods.. will I do any harm to the baby? I'm 7w4d and can't believe I've eaten something like this! I'm normally so careful!

[ShowOfHands]

What type of goats cheese?

It's not a risk to the baby in itself but it can cause Listeria which is a risk to unborn babies. You are likely to be just fine and it might not even by a goats cheese that's on the list.

[EastDulwichWife]

I'm sure you'll be fine. It's a very cautious attitude to take and it's unlikely to have any impact on you. Just think, has a piece of goat's cheese made you ill before?!

Relax - you'll be fine! x

[notacooldad]

Seriously your are extremely likely to be fine and so is baby.
No stop stressing because that's not good for anyone!

[Caspiana]

Risk very low. Very few cases of listeria caused by goats cheese, and some goats cheese is pasteurised anyway.

[PinkHeart5914]

It was 1 salad with i imagine a minimal amount of cheese it in. This will not cause harm to your baby

[Ttbb]

Unlikely

[NooNooHead1981]

I'm not sure what type of goat's cheese - I didn't know there were different types! I'll check the label.

I think you are right, I am prob just worrying over nothing. I might call my midwife if I start to feel a bit flu-like but I'm sure she will say that I am panicking over nothing. My birth mum took recreational drugs when pregnant with me which is much worse, and I'm ok!

[mindutopia]

I have never avoided goat's cheese. Any sort of commercial cheese will be pastuerised. Just make sure it's not out of date and all. But I eat goat's cheese all the time. You've obviously never gotten listeria from it before, so I wouldn't stress about it happening this time either (in fact, in recent years, most listeria outbreaks have been almost entirely from foods not on the list of foods to be cautious about, it's been in stuff like sprouts and lettuce, etc.). I wouldn't worry about it.

[NooNooHead1981]

I thought that goat's cheese is unpasturised, hence the risk? Maybe I've been reading too much rubbish online...

I must stop worrying! I was much more relaxed in my first pregnancy, but then that was 7 years ago so I think I've forgotten what it was like!

[ShowOfHands]

www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2684.aspx?CategoryID=54

[NooNooHead1981]

It wasn't cooked (obviously as it was a salad) and it didn't say what type on the packaging. It looked quite crumbly - is this he chevre type of goat's cheese?

[Rebeccaslicker]

Google how many cases of listeria have been caused by cheese - that will cheer you up. The chances are minuscule honestly. It's rare anyway and the cases that there are tend to be from things like dirty hot dog vendors!

Seriously don't worry - you won't make the mistake again and it's so unlikely to be an issue. Take it from someone who spent 90 mins tearfully googling "does Leon use pasteurised eggs in its tahini sauce" when she was in the first trimester a few years ago. Mostly it's a massive massive precaution!

[thecolonelbumminganugget]

For context a while ago when i was worried having eatwn some brie, I googled cases of listeriosis in the UK. Since 2012 there have been around 160 -170 cases per year in the uk, out of a population of around 63m - 65m, not all of these will be caused by cheese and although there is an increase in cases of childbearing age it is by no means limited up that category, the cases are spread across a broad age range and across both the sexes.

[thecolonelbumminganugget]

Wow, I should have proof read that, hopefully you get the gist

[FlaviaAlbia]

It's ok, if it was crumbly it's very unlikely to be mould ripened. The mould ripened texture is more like brie.

[thingymaboob]

I think marks and spencer have all their cheese pasteurised? I'm sure I read that somewhere. Ring their customer service as they'll be able to tell you if it's pasteurised or not

[Mortigua]

I came to post the same thing or very similar. I ate lunch out today and checked was the goats cheese in my sandwich going to be pasturised. The chef said yes so I ordered as planned. Realised after it came it had a rind on- only had a tiny amount but now really worried and annoyed with myself.

[Mortigua]

Mine wasn't cooked either OP. I am pretty sure those salads are ok though - I bet you could find it online and check?

[HaHaHmm]

It doesn’t matter if it was pasteurised or not. There is a risk of listeriosis with any mound-ripened cheese, pasteurised or otherwise, but as pp have said the risk is really very tiny indeed.

[SnowWhite33]

Fresh goats cheese is perfectly fine to eat (from pasteurised milk, which it is coming from supermarket). The one which is not recommended is chevre goats cheese with mould-ripened rind (regardless if its pasteurised or not as the risk is in the rind).

[NooNooHead1981]

Thank you for your replies. I think you are all right - the risk is so small, it would be bloody unlucky for something to happen (although I am the queen of rare things happening to me - I got a rare drug induced movement disorder from a stupid antipsychotic that people usually only get after years; I got it after a week!, and I also had an ectopic which is supposedly meant to be only 1% of pregnancies.)

Mortigua I'm sure you will be ok... as others have said, the risk is really so small, it is hardly worth worrying about. Keep smiling

[Mortigua]

Thanks NooNooHead1981 hope this thread has helped you feel better now about it. I do but also.get what you mean about the rare things too (child with a v v rare condition ).
Sure we are both fine on this one though !