This section is from the Food Standards Agency. Even pasteurised cheeses can pose a threat as its how the cheese contained or manufactured. In general hard cheese is ok.
This is a follow on to other threads. I hope this helps people I have worked in food microbiology and know of this bacteria so was hoping to help anyone who was uncertain?
For the main categories of cheese consumed in the UK, the risk of Listeria monocytogenes contamination, survival or growth was found to be as follows;
The majority of semi-hard and hard cheeses (e.g. Cheddar, Cheshire, Caerphilly and Red Leicester) appear to present little risk.
For fresh, soft cheese (e.g. Mozzarella, Ricotta, Quarg and cream cheese) the risk is low, partly due to the processing and packaging used.
For blue-veined cheese (e.g. Stilton, Gorgonzola, Roquefort and Danish Blue), surface film-ripened cheeses (e.g. Taleggio, Munster and Chaumes) and mould-ripened cheese (e.g. Brie, and Camembert), the project identified possible risks due to the production processes and controlling factors.
With the exception of hard cheeses, the use of raw milk introduces an additional risk factor for L. monocytogenes. However, most cheese consumed in the UK is made from pasteurised milk.
Predictive modelling based on controlling factors such as pH, water activity and salt content was found to over-estimate the growth or survival of L. monocytogenes. This may be because the lactic starter cultures are able to influence the growth and survival of L. monocytogenes in cheese.
The risk ranking of cheese categories provided in the final project report tends to support existing Agency advice on cheese consumption for pregnant women.