Blue Cheese

Choking risk

Blue cheese is a low choking risk - it is soft and crumbly, and for babies it is served melted into food in tiny amounts anyway.

Melt a small crumble into a hot dish rather than offering pieces from the wedge. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.

Allergens

Blue cheese is made from milk, a common food allergen and one of the most common allergies in babies - whether the milk is cow's, sheep's, or goat's, it triggers the same allergy.^[1]

If dairy is already comfortably in the diet, blue cheese needs no separate introduction - it counts toward the same allergen as yogurt or any other cheese.^[2]

If dairy is still untried, start with a milder form first - and whenever a new dairy food appears, begin with a small amount and watch for a reaction.^[3]

Food safety

Soft blue cheeses sit in the same family as brie for listeria risk, so for babies and young children serve blue cheese cooked into food until steaming hot, and choose pasteurized only - traditional roquefort is made from raw sheep's milk, so it's one to skip.^[4][5]

The blue veins themselves are nothing to worry about - they're a Penicillium mold added on purpose, and safe to eat.

It is also one of the saltiest cheeses there is, so treat it strictly as a flavoring - a small crumble melted through a dish, not a serving on its own, and no other salty foods in the same meal.^[6]