Is It Safe To Eat Ham And Other Deli Meats During Pregnancy?

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Nutrition and weight gain

Is it safe to eat ham and other deli meats during pregnancy?

Medically reviewed by Dr. Naras Lapsys, PhD, Accredited Practising DietitianWritten by Megan Rive

Key Takeaways

Avoid cold deli meats like ham, salami, and prosciutto, as they can harbour potentially harmful bacteria like listeria.
Deli meats are safe to eat if they are thoroughly cooked until steaming hot.
While listeriosis is rare it can be extremely harmful to your baby.

It’s best to avoid deli or processed meats, such as prosciutto, ham, salami, luncheon meat, chicken meat and other smoked or cured meats, during pregnancy. They may contain listeria or salmonella bacteria, or toxoplasma parasites. Thorough cooking will kill the bacteria and parasites, though. So eating well-cooked cured meats is fine. You can eat them if they’re added to pizza or in a pasta dish. Just make sure they’re cooked until they’re steaming hot (75 degrees C), and eat them straight away. Advertisement | page continues below Listeria causes listeriosis, an uncommon type of food poisoning. You’re more susceptible to listeriosis when you’re pregnant. Salmonella also causes food poisoning, and toxoplasma parasites cause toxoplasmosis. Listeriosis and toxoplasmosis cause you to have flu-like symptoms a few weeks after you’ve been infected, so it’s hard to pinpoint the cause. Salmonella food poisoning tends to have more obvious symptoms, such as diarrhoea and vomiting, just after you’ve eaten the contaminated food. It's unlikely to harm your unborn baby, but it can be very unpleasant for you. Listeriosis and toxoplasmosis, on the other hand, are both rare and fairly mild illnesses for you, but they can be harmful for your baby. These infections can cause serious health problems, miscarriage or even stillbirth. Deli meats are handled more than other food products, which is why they’re more likely to be contaminated. Bacteria and parasites thrive in the small, hard to reach places in slicing, dicing and shredding equipment. Pre-packaged deli meats have a lower risk than those at deli counters, but cook them before eating them, too, to be on the safe side. Try not to worry if you’ve had cold cured meats already in pregnancy. Listeriosis and toxoplasmosis are very rare and the risk to your baby is low. Find out what other foods aren’t safe to eat during pregnancy. Advertisement | page continues below Don’t forget to download our free app for a day-by-day guide to your pregnancy. My Pregnancy & Baby Today gives you all the expert advice you need, right at your fingertips.Was this article helpful?

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Megan RiveMegan Rive is a communication, content strategy and project delivery specialist. She was Babycenter editor for six years. Opens a new window Opens a new window Opens a new window

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