Pregnancy food guidance
Queso fresco
Depends—Higher caution
Avoid raw-milk queso fresco. Choose only pasteurized products and pay close attention to recalls.
What changes the answer for Queso fresco
- Raw-milk or unlabeled product: avoid.
- Pasteurized, commercially produced product: safer but still follow recalls.
- Homemade product with uncertain milk source: avoid.
Why it matters for Queso fresco
Queso fresco has been associated with Listeria outbreaks, including products made with pasteurized milk when contamination occurred after pasteurization.
Practical takeaway
Choose a sealed, pasteurized product from a reliable producer and check recalls.
Evidence interpretation
Emily Oster’s perspective on Queso fresco
Oster identifies queso fresco as one of the foods reasonably worth avoiding because it has appeared repeatedly in past Listeria outbreaks.
Read the ParentData analysis (opens in a new tab)Sources and review details
- Review status
- Source reviewed
- Last reviewed
- Guidance region
- United States