Going to France? List of Pasteurised (and non-Blue) French Cheese Safe to Eat!

[WhatDoIKnow2208]

Hi all,
I'm new here, and this is my very first posting!
I'm 11 weeks and 6 days today, and just had my first trimester scan yesterday!!! :)
We're off on hols on Monday for 2 weeks in lovely Normandy & Brittany, and I am keen to enjoy myself as much as possible w/out putting Beloved Bump at risk.
Thanks to Waitrose.com and a super website called Cheeseonthegreen.com, I have compiled a list of French cheeses that are safe for pregnant women!
Hope this will prove useful/helpful to others!
(NB. cheeseonthegreen.com includes a list of pasteurised cheeses of other countries as well, Italy, etc.)

List of Pasteurised (and non-blue) French Cheese -

• BOURSIN

• CHAUMES

• CHEVRE

• SOIGNON FROMAGE DE CHEVRE

• ST. CHEVRIER ASH

• CHAOURCE

• DELICE DE BOURGOGNE

• EPOISSE DE BOURGOGNE

• MIMOLETTE VIELLE

• PONT L'EVEQUE (specialite de Normandy)

Bon appetite!

Yes, toxoplasmosis does seem to be more common here. I second the advice about carefully washing fruit and veg, especially if bought from market (home grown or grown on smallholding often, so more chance of cats etc).

I went off beef during pregnancy so wasn't faced with the trauma of eating well cooked steak :o

Yes as I understand it if fully cooked it is fine to eat, pasteurised or non pasteurised.

Enjoy

I spent most of my first pregnancy in a place where you couldn't get pasteurised milk. The milk used to come from the farm, in a churn, and we used to boil it. All the cheese was made from raw milk. It's a wonder we're both still here, really.

Congratulations on your pregnancy, OP. I know you're trying to be helpful but as other posters have said I'm afraid that your list is completely wrong and you have been wholly misinformed about the safety guidelines.

French and British advice is to avoid any soft or semi-soft mould-ripened cheese, regardless of whether it is pasteurised. The only cheeses on your list which are 'safe' are Mimolette, because it's a hard cheese, and Boursin, which although soft is processed and has no rind. All cheese is safe if cooked until piping hot, e.g. baked Camembert or chèvre on a pizza.

The risk of listeriosis is fairly slim and you may decide to eat these cheeses anyway, but if you have gone to the trouble of compiling a list then you should understand the guidance. I hope no-one is confused or misled by the list.