Parmesan - I know I've asked this before...

[dcb]

and it says on the food safety agency website that you can eat it. But it also says avoid unpasteurised cheese - which it always is. Had a MC earlier this year and I know it had nothing to do with the occ helping of my favourite cheese - but am being extra careful this time. However, I'm really missing it more than anything. Cheddar just doesn't do it for me! Any one know if it's ok? Or if you can get a pasteurised version anywhere?

Good news! Food standards website says parmesan is listed under "Foods you needn't avoid"

www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/pregnancy/whenyrpregnant/#cat226049

I've been eating Pie D'Angloys (tastes bit like brie but pasteurised) and Port Salut (the one with the orange rind) which is also usually pasteurised.

The Pie is on special offer at Sainsbury this week too

Thanks. I had another look and it doesn't mention anything about unpasteurised cheese so I'm going to carry on with my parmesan eating!

My understanding was that the advice has changed (or I misunderstood before ) from "pasteurised = good / unpasteurised = avoid" to "hard or processed = OK / mould ripened = risk". I have in mind that's because the mould ripening process is conducive to the growth of bacteria such as listeria, whereas a hard cheese matures in a fairly bacteria unfriendly way. So whether its made with pasteurised milk or not, a mould ripened cheese like brie or stilton is only recommended for consumption during pregnancy if its been thoroughly cooked immediately before its eaten.

IIRC the biggest concern is listeria - have a look on here.

Hope that helps clarify.

Oh good, I'd been scoffing parmesan until I noticed it was unpasteurised and started to worry

I live in Italy where there is no restriction on what cheese you eat (!) but I tend to follow the UK guidelines just in case.

Parmesan is fine and actually is very high in iron, or so I'm told!

Agree with Spaghettina: a chuck of Parmesan a day is actually recommended to pregnant women in Italy because of the high calcium content.