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Camembert cheese is a small, soft, round cheese with a thin white rind that ripens from the outside in. In USDA FoodData Central data an ounce of camembert has about 85 calories, 5.6 grams of protein, 10% of the Daily Value for sodium and 22% for saturated fat. The protected name Camembert de Normandie is registered in the EU as a PDO for a raw-milk cheese from Normandy, while other cheeses labeled camembert may use pasteurized milk. Below: camembert nutrition, the rind, the EU name rules, what studies say about lactose, and FDA and CDC Listeria advice.
Peptide Labs does not sell camembert or other cheese. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.
Key Takeaways
- USDA SR Legacy lists one ounce of camembert at 85 calories, 5.6 grams of protein and 4.3 grams of saturated fat.
- Per ounce, USDA lists 239 milligrams of sodium (10% of the Daily Value) and 110 milligrams of calcium.
- The EU registration file for Camembert de Normandie describes a soft cheese with a downy crust, made with raw milk.
- INAO, the French origin agency, says the PDO cheese is made exclusively from raw milk.
- US rules (21 CFR 133.182) require raw-milk soft ripened cheese to be aged at least 60 days.
- CDC lists soft cheese made from unpasteurized milk, including camembert, as riskier in pregnancy.
What camembert is and how its white rind forms
Camembert is made by curdling milk, ladling the curd into small round molds, draining, salting and ripening it, while a white mold grows over the surface. Researchers who sequenced the genomes of cheese molds (Ropars and colleagues, 2020) describe Penicillium camemberti as the white mold used for the maturation of soft cheeses such as Camembert and Brie, and report that it arose from a fairly recent domestication by cheesemakers.
US cheese rules in 21 CFR Part 133 have no section named for camembert. A general FDA standard for soft ripened cheeses (21 CFR 133.182) covers cheese of this kind that ripens from the surface toward the center, and it says that cheese made from milk that is not pasteurized must be aged for at least 60 days. That is why the milk statement on a camembert label is worth reading.
Camembert de Normandie: what the PDO name covers
Camembert de Normandie is a protected designation of origin (PDO) in the EU. The registration file held in the EU register eAmbrosia, filed by the French Institut National des Appellations d’Origine, describes a soft-paste cheese with a downy crust, made with raw milk, shaped as a small, flat cylinder, from Normandy. The EU file says the curds are shaped with a ladle in at least four successive operations, that ripening is generally completed in 30 to 35 days with a minimum of 21 days, and that the French appellation was first granted in August 1983.
The current INAO product page adds that the PDO cheese is made exclusively from raw milk, that herds must be at least half Normande-breed cows grazing at least 6 months a year, that the wheel is a flat cylinder about 11 cm across, and that the production area covers just over 1,500 communes in Orne, Calvados, Manche and a strip of Eure.
Two facts sit side by side here. The PDO cheese is a raw-milk cheese, and the US standard for soft ripened cheese made from unpasteurized milk requires at least 60 days of aging, longer than the minimum ripening named in the original EU file. Read the milk statement on the label rather than assuming either way.
Camembert nutrition per ounce, from USDA data
The table compares USDA SR Legacy values for one ounce (28.35 g) of camembert with three other cheeses. Percent Daily Values use the FDA reference amounts printed on food labels. Camembert holds a lot of water for a cheese, about 52 grams per 100 grams in USDA data, so it is lower in calories than firm cheeses such as https://peptidelabs.live/cheddar-cheese/, while its saturated fat share is similar. It carries more calcium than brie but less than firmer cheeses on our https://peptidelabs.live/foods-high-in-calcium/ list, and a fair amount of vitamin B12 for its size (see https://peptidelabs.live/b12-foods/).
| Per 1 oz (USDA SR Legacy) | Camembert (FDC 172178) | Brie (FDC 172177) | Mozzarella, whole milk (FDC 170845) | Cheddar (FDC 173414) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 85 | 95 | 85 | 114 |
| Protein | 5.6 g (11% DV) | 5.9 g (12% DV) | 6.3 g (13% DV) | 6.5 g (13% DV) |
| Total fat | 6.9 g (9% DV) | 7.9 g (10% DV) | 6.3 g (8% DV) | 9.4 g (12% DV) |
| Saturated fat | 4.3 g (22% DV) | 4.9 g (25% DV) | 3.9 g (20% DV) | 5.3 g (27% DV) |
| Cholesterol | 20 mg (7% DV) | 28 mg (9% DV) | 22 mg (7% DV) | 28 mg (9% DV) |
| Sodium | 239 mg (10% DV) | 178 mg (8% DV) | 138 mg (6% DV) | 185 mg (8% DV) |
| Calcium | 110 mg (8% DV) | 52 mg (4% DV) | 143 mg (11% DV) | 201 mg (15% DV) |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.37 mcg (15% DV) | 0.47 mcg (19% DV) | 0.65 mcg (27% DV) | 0.31 mcg (13% DV) |
| Riboflavin | 0.14 mg (11% DV) | 0.15 mg (11% DV) | 0.08 mg (6% DV) | 0.12 mg (9% DV) |
| Carbohydrate | 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 0.7 g | 1.0 g |
A wedge is a more realistic portion than an ounce. USDA lists a 1.33-ounce wedge of camembert (38 g) at 114 calories, 7.5 grams of protein, 320 milligrams of sodium (14% DV) and 5.8 grams of saturated fat, which is 29% of the Daily Value. A whole small wheel shared at a table is several wedges, so check the Nutrition Facts panel on the package for the servings it contains.
Camembert next to other soft cheeses
Camembert and https://peptidelabs.live/brie/ are close relatives: both are bloomy-rind cheeses ripened with the same white mold species, according to the Ropars genome research. Our brie article covers how the two differ in size and flavor. In the table above, camembert has slightly fewer calories and less saturated fat per ounce than brie but more sodium and calcium. For a strongly flavored, mold-veined soft cheese, see our https://peptidelabs.live/blue-cheese/ guide; for a fresh, unripened option, see https://peptidelabs.live/mozzarella/.
Can you eat camembert rind?
Yes. The white rind is part of the cheese, formed by the mold that ripens it, and it is meant to be eaten with the soft paste inside. Whether you eat it is a matter of taste.
- A young wheel has a firmer, chalky center and a mild, mushroomy rind.
- A ripe wheel is soft right through; the rind tastes stronger and may show reddish patches.
- A sharp ammonia smell usually means the cheese is past its peak for flavor.
- Baked camembert is warmed whole in its rind, which holds the melted center together.
- Cutting the rind away changes texture and flavor but removes very little nutrition.
Listeria, raw milk and pregnancy: FDA and CDC advice
Listeria monocytogenes is the germ behind the FDA and CDC advice on soft cheese. The FDA says pregnant women are about 10 times more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis, and that listeriosis can lead to miscarriage, premature labor, the delivery of a low-birth-weight infant or infant death. CDC lists soft cheese made from unpasteurized (raw) milk, naming queso fresco, brie, camembert and blue-veined cheese, among riskier foods in pregnancy. The FDA advises avoiding cheeses made with unpasteurized milk and lists cheeses made with pasteurized milk as safe choices, apart from queso fresco-type cheeses.
- CDC names the groups at higher risk from Listeria: pregnant women, newborns, adults 65 or older and people with weakened immune systems.
- Look for the words made with pasteurized milk; under the INAO rules, a PDO Camembert de Normandie is a raw-milk cheese, which matters for the FDA and CDC advice.
- CDC lists pasteurized soft cheeses heated until steaming hot among safer choices in pregnancy, which is relevant to baked camembert.
- If you are pregnant or in another higher-risk group, follow FDA and CDC advice and ask your clinician about soft cheeses.
- Our https://peptidelabs.live/prenatal-vitamins/ guide lists other nutrition questions to raise with your clinician.
Salt, saturated fat and lactose in camembert
USDA lists one ounce of camembert at 10% of the Daily Value for sodium, more than brie but less than https://peptidelabs.live/blue-cheese/; our https://peptidelabs.live/low-sodium-foods/ page shows where that fits. Saturated fat is the larger share. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030, say that when consuming dairy you can include full-fat dairy with no added sugars, and that saturated fat in general should not exceed 10% of total daily calories. Our https://peptidelabs.live/high-fat-foods/ guide puts cheese beside other fat sources. USDA lists 20 milligrams of cholesterol per ounce (see https://peptidelabs.live/foods-high-in-cholesterol/).
USDA SR Legacy lists no lactose value for camembert. In a study of Camembert-type cheeses, Leclercq-Perlat and colleagues (2013) found that lactose was used up during ripening and proposed that it is the main energy source for the white mold early on, which suggests little milk sugar remains in a ripened wheel; tolerance is still individual, and our https://peptidelabs.live/lactase/ article covers lactase products. Milk is one of the nine major food allergens under US law (FDA), so camembert is not suitable for anyone with a milk allergy.
Is camembert healthy? How it fits a varied diet
Is camembert healthy? It supplies protein, calcium, riboflavin, vitamin A and vitamin B12 in a small portion, and it is also rich in saturated fat and moderately salty. No single cheese makes or breaks a diet; portion size and the rest of the plate decide how it fits. Serving camembert with fruit, raw vegetables or whole-grain bread is common in eating patterns such as the https://peptidelabs.live/mediterranean-diet/. As a ripened cheese it also belongs with other https://peptidelabs.live/fermented-foods/. For how cheeses differ overall, read our main https://peptidelabs.live/cheese/ guide, and compare a cream-filled fresh cheese in our https://peptidelabs.live/burrata/ article.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you eat the rind on camembert?
Yes. The white rind forms from the ripening mold and is meant to be eaten. Some people trim it on very ripe wheels for flavor.
Is camembert made with pasteurized milk?
It can be either. INAO says PDO Camembert de Normandie is made exclusively from raw milk, while other camembert may use pasteurized milk, so check the label.
Can I eat camembert when pregnant?
CDC lists soft cheese made from unpasteurized milk, including camembert, as riskier, and the FDA advises avoiding raw-milk cheese. Ask your clinician about pasteurized camembert.
How many calories are in camembert?
USDA lists one ounce at about 85 calories and a 1.33-ounce wedge at about 114 calories.
What is Camembert de Normandie?
It is the PDO name for a raw-milk camembert from Normandy, registered in the EU, with rules on milk, herds, ladling and the production area set out by INAO.
Is camembert high in sodium?
Moderately. USDA lists one ounce at 239 milligrams of sodium, 10% of the Daily Value.
Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a food allergy. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Last reviewed October 2026.
Related guides: Burrata: What It Is, Nutrition and Safety Notes, Brie: Nutrition, the Edible Rind and Listeria Facts, Blue Cheese: Mold, USDA Values and Is It Healthy?.