Soft Cheeses & Listeria: What Families Should Know

Soft-ripened cheeses (like brie and camembert) are delicious—but they’re also “wet” foods that are stored cold and eaten without cooking. That combo matters for safety: Listeria monocytogenes tolerates refrigeration and can survive or grow on moist, ready-to-eat products. In this category, small lapses—at the farm, during ripening, at cutting/wrapping stations, or in the store—can undermine otherwise safe products. For households, the safest approach is to slow down at the cheese case: confirm the style, check handling, and keep the label and lot code until the cheese is gone.

Risk also varies by milk type and handling. Public-health guidance notes that soft cheeses made from unpasteurized (raw) milk are more likely to contain Listeria and other germs, and that people at higher risk (pregnant people, older adults, and those with weakened immune systems) should be especially cautious. Even with pasteurized milk, contamination can happen after pasteurization if equipment or surfaces aren’t pristine—so clean storage and shorter hold times help. For a concise overview, see CDC’s explainer on dairy and Listeria: How Listeria Spreads: Soft Cheeses and Raw Milk