Pasteurised Brie?

[leannac]

I really fancy some Brie. Missing my soft cheeses! Anyone know of any Brie brands that are pasteurised & therefore ok to eat? Outside of Europe most soft cheeses are pasteurised so was hoping one of those have made it over here?!

I thought Brie was one of the allowed cheeses! :S

Off to check now...

As far as I'm aware, Brie and Camembert can only be eaten if they are cooked.

From what I understand - Brie is not ok whether pasturised or not - it's the mould ripened bit that is bad (of course this has totally changed from what I ate when I was pregnant the first time around so who knows what's right and what's not!)

here's the link:
www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/917.aspx?CategoryID=54&SubCategoryID=130#close

sorry i'll try that again: [http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/917.aspx?CategoryID=54&SubCategoryID=130#close NHS guidelines]]

oh dear.... can I blame preggy brain?? NHS guidelines

Brie n cammenbert are only to be eaten if cooked as heating destroys the lysteria and other potentially nasty bacterias. Even pasterurised it is not worth risking having unheated versions, I am a cheese lover n not having good cheese is driving me slightly loopy x

Yes agree with soap and turns. Even pasteurised Brie (and other mould rinded cheeses) are not ok unless they have been thoroughly cooked. The reason is because even though they are first made with pasteurised milk, listeria can then develop while the cheese is ripening - in other words the effect of the initial pasteurisation doesn't last. Sorry! How about a lovely baked Brie?

If you do want to eat pasteurised Brie anyway (as everyone has their own risk limits) then I believe President brand is pasteurised.

All pasteurised means is that at the moment it came out of the machine it was sterile.

The rules on cheese and listeria relate to how accommodating an environment the cheese is for listeria. Parmesan, for example, isn't pasteurised but is fine because listeria would have a hard time cultivating there. Mould-ripened soft cheese is an excellent breeding ground for listeria I'm afraid, so is out.

By the way OP I believe that pasteurised soft cheeses that are fresh and have not been ripened are fine - for example Boursin, non mould rinded goats cheese, and most mozzarellas.

Hi pasteurised only means the milk the cheese was made from was pasteurised. Listeria bacteria is a separate issue- it can cause miscarriage. Thats why it's not recommended to eat.

It is still fine cooked though - I've been slaking my cheese cravings with Brie on pizza and baked Camembert.

Brie is the only think on the list that I've just ignored and had occasionally. Me and baby are currently fine at 35 weeks.

No regrets!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been eating most cheeses. As already said, the advice is because cheeses like brie are a good growing medium for bacteria. There's nothing inherently wrong with them in themselves, just if they are contaminated then the level of listeria is more likely to get to a level which may lead to illness. Loads of other foods can be good breeding grounds for listeria if contaminated too. As I see it, good general food hygiene and being cautious about where you get food from is more important.

Ah I see. I thought pasteurised meant safe. Maybe baked Brie for dinner then!

Baked Brie sounds great!
Just wish I could actually eat anything- 9 weeks & lots of vomiting!

Just a little interesting fact - there are currently 3.6 cases of listeria reported per million people in the UK. The risk is extremely, extremely tiny and if you eat cheese that has been stored/prepared properly (i.e not left sitting outside in the sun all day) then it's likely to be none at all.

I read somewhere when I was pg the last time that there hadn't been a case of cheese-related listeria in the UK for over 25 years, but this is my third go-round and I'm far more paranoid about pushing my luck this time than I was with the other two. I ate what I liked last time!

The risk of listeria is low for the general population. BUT pregnant women have a lowered immune system so are more likely to get it than a non pregnant person.

And it can cross the placenta and cause miscarriage (unlike other forms of food poisoning like salmonella which only make the mother sick) so to me, that makes it a more serious risk.

Brug is right though that lots of other foods are listeria breeding grounds, which I think we often forget. For example pre-prepared salads (like in a salad buffet bar) are notorious for it.

I just looked that up Minipie and you are right - pregnant women are 20 times more likely to get it. However those stats still apply so even then, it is still very rare.

It's funny i don't think many people are aware of the risks in bagged salad and also packaged sandwiches. I think it would be really useful if the NHS would publish a list of what to avoid alongside the actual risk figures - then people could make an informed choice over what they feel is worth avoiding.

I'm actually doing a project on listeriosis right now. The 'cheese hype' is interesting since most outbreaks of listeriosis in the UK in the past few decades have been linked to pre packed sandwiches in hospitals! And we don't worry about giving those to pregnant women! I haven't been able to find any record of a UK outbreak related to soft cheeses, though of course sporadic cases will have happened. All this is to say, the risk is there with the cheeses, but it is tiny.

katiecubs I agree real risk figures would be a good idea! Listeriosis is a fascinating topic

Completely agree that the risks of pre-packed sandwiches and other pre-packaged foods should be more widely known.

I think the difficulty is that people want a black and white list of "what to eat" and "what to avoid". Whereas with pre-packaged foods it's more a case of "use common sense" - a sandwich from somewhere like Pret a Manger, made that morning, is probably ok whereas one that's been sitting in a garage forecourt for days is more risky.

That's really interesting Bue - pre packaged sandwiches in hospitals none the less!

It's a difficult one isn't it - i guess people really need to do their own research and weigh up the risks. For me this time round, having read various studies etc, i am being more relaxed but like Minipie says using my common sense and avoiding foods prepared of left in more risky circumstances.