Crap! I ate Feta!

[Lesli45]

I'm going to blame it on pregnancy brain lol but I bought a salad today at the caf and without thinking I put a tomato/feta mixture on it. What was I thinking? Anyways, I ate almost the whole thing before realizing. Please tell me that the risks are extremely low for listeria? I had a brief freak out moment when I realized I had done it but no turning back now.

 

[Daisy416]

I have done this too....more than once....oops!! I'm sure you will be fine....dont worry about it. I'm not sure where you live but here in the States a lot of the feta is pasturized anyways.

 

[SilverWillow]

It is only unpasteurised which has a risk I think, and the risk is fairly low, I wouldn't panic. I have slipped up once or twice too with ice cream that contained egg!

 

[MrsWifey]

Don't worry, a couple of weeks ago I was at a work thing (they didn't know I was pg) and was so clever I avoided the meat table at the luch buffet only to end up with a goats cheese baguette and a brie baguette on my plate which I then had to eat! The risk of listeria is very small and you can get it even if you're not pg, think of all those time you've had feta, brie, salami etc in your life - now how many times have you got listeria from eating them?

 

[Kaola79]

Hi Lesli45 i did eaxctly the same thing yesterday, i love feta and it had said on babycentre that it was okay so didn't thhink about it again until i say your post. I found this and realised that probably all of the feta in canteen salads and in supermarkets are made out of pasturised milk .
this was on a cheese website!!
Listeria infection in pregnant women is very rare in the UK, only affecting one in 20,000 pregnancies. Provided you avoid foods with a high risk, you are very unlikely to be affected.

Unpasteurised cheeses imported from abroad or made by small producers are also safe to eat in pregnancy provided they are made from cow's milk and are not mould-ripened or blue-veined. The Food Standards Agency states that listeria is present in these cheeses in very low numbers and they are therefore not considered a risk during pregnancy. On the other hand, unpasteurised milk (from any animal) is not considered safe. In the USA, pregnant women are advised to avoid feta cheese because of the risk of listeria, but the feta cheese sold in the UK is considered safe to eat during pregnancy.

Cheeses which are SAFE to eat in pregnancy

Hard cheeses:
austrian smoked, Babybel, caerphilly, cheddar, cheshire, derby, double gloucester, edam, emmental, english goat's cheddar, feta (if bought in the UK), gouda, gruyere, halloumi, havarti, jarlsberg, lancashire, mozzarella, orkney, paneer, parmesan, pecorino (hard), provolone, red leicester.

 

[jett]

I would not worry too much,

CDC claims that pregnant women are 20 times more likely to become infected than non-pregnant healthy adults.

2,500 persons become seriously ill each year in the United States 27% of these are pregnant. so 675 bad cases a year with 6.5 million women pregnant each year in the U.S.

I know you may not be in the US but those stats should put you a little more at ease.

But still don't use those stats to go eating it anyway!

 

[Lesli45]

Phew! Thanks so much for the replies. I feel much better and will hopefully not do that again lol.

 

[jett]

Hi Lesli45 i did eaxctly the same thing yesterday, i love feta and it had said on babycentre that it was okay so didn't thhink about it again until i say your post. I found this and realised that probably all of the feta in canteen salads and in supermarkets are made out of pasturised milk .
this was on a cheese website!!
Listeria infection in pregnant women is very rare in the UK, only affecting one in 20,000 pregnancies. Provided you avoid foods with a high risk, you are very unlikely to be affected.

Unpasteurised cheeses imported from abroad or made by small producers are also safe to eat in pregnancy provided they are made from cow's milk and are not mould-ripened or blue-veined. The Food Standards Agency states that listeria is present in these cheeses in very low numbers and they are therefore not considered a risk during pregnancy. On the other hand, unpasteurised milk (from any animal) is not considered safe. In the USA, pregnant women are advised to avoid feta cheese because of the risk of listeria, but the feta cheese sold in the UK is considered safe to eat during pregnancy.

Cheeses which are SAFE to eat in pregnancy

Hard cheeses:
austrian smoked, Babybel, caerphilly, cheddar, cheshire, derby, double gloucester, edam, emmental, english goat's cheddar, feta (if bought in the UK), gouda, gruyere, halloumi, havarti, jarlsberg, lancashire, mozzarella, orkney, paneer, parmesan, pecorino (hard), provolone, red leicester.

ok Kaola go one up me and get the UK stats lol

 

[Kaola79]

Sorry Lesli45 i've just realised that i assumed you were in the uk, you may not be.
like the others say, the risk of listeria is low.
its pretty restrictive lark isn't it? worth it thoguh

 

[Kaola79]

Jett, i reckon i was coying and pasting that at the same time you were typing. I found a cheese website the most reassuring, didn't expect that

 

[bobbyrabbit]

I am pretty sure that the UK government guidance (food standards agency) is that feta is ok although I have read in some places that it should be avoided. I guess this shows any risk is very low so I wouldn't worry about it

 

[jett]

Jett, i reckon i was coying and pasting that at the same time you were typing. I found a cheese website the most reassuring, didn't expect that

I guess it's in the cheese company's best interest to let you know there cheese is safe where as other sites may not care enough to find out for you.

I have been quite surprised by just how many things you are told not to eat, you look up and find are now safe as they are pasteurized

 

[Mama627]

Since this is the cheese thread, does anyone know if blue cheese dressing is OK? Can't eat hot wings without it!!

 

[babyhopes2010]

shit! we not allowed to eat feta!

 

[Kittee]

It's like anything ladies. Eat in moderation and only from trusted sources.

Hope to help!

 

[babyhopes2010]

hhmmmmm im a feta addict!

 

[K4tiemay]

Ha ha - I had some yesterday too - I wouldn't have even known not to if you hadn't posted this. I thought it was just mouldy soft cheese we couldn't have? My midwife told me that French women eat soft cheese all through pregnancy and they do not have increased complications - we'll be fine

 

[Waitin4astork]

I actually read a recipe in one of my pregnancy magazines this morning, which had feta in it!

 

[Lesli45]

Thanks so much for all your replies/advice. I thought I had done the unthinkable but I'm glad to know that it's not too big of a deal I'm from Canada so I'm assuming it's similar to the US. I'll just try to make sure that my feta is cooked through if I eat any. Thanks again!

 

[BlackBerry25]

I ate it all the time with my last pregnancy and I was ok.