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Can I eat bologna while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Cold bologna shows Check in Doola Scan for the US, UK, Canada and Ireland and Avoid for Australia and New Zealand; heated until steaming hot, it shows Check in all six. Bologna is a deli meat, and the FDA says listeria can grow on deli meats in the fridge and heating kills it. Health Canada names bologna among the non-dried deli meats to avoid unless heated until steaming hot, and the FDA's number is 165°F.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Cold bologna, sliced from the pack or the deli

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaIrelandAvoidAustraliaNew Zealand

  • Bologna fried or heated until steaming hot

    CheckIn all six countries
Doola Scan checking a plate
What each country says

Bologna while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on bologna, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.

  • Doola has no source from Ireland on this yet; its answer comes from the other countries' guidance.

  • United States

    Check
    • FDAListeria grows at fridge temperatures; heating kills it.Source
    • FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Reheat hot dogs, deli meats and fermented or dry sausage to steaming hot or 165°F.Source
    • USDA FSISPregnant mothers should avoid deli meats and hot dogs not heated to 165°F.Source

  • United Kingdom

    Check
    • NHSCold cured meats (salami, pepperoni, chorizo, prosciutto) should be cooked until steaming hot.Source

  • Canada

    Check
    • CPSAvoid uncooked hot dogs and non-dried deli meats.Source
    • Health CanadaHot dogs not straight from pack - heat to 74 °C; avoid non-dried deli meats (bologna, roast beef, turkey) unless steaming hot.Source

  • Australia

    • Cold bologna, sliced from the pack or the deliAvoid
    • Bologna fried or heated until steaming hotCheck
    • NSW HealthDo not eat cold deli meats.Source
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Deli meats only if further cooked or heated.Source
    • FSANZAvoid unpackaged deli-counter and packaged sliced cold meats unless freshly cooked or reheated steaming hot.Source
    • NSW Food AuthorityProcessed meats only if cooked to at least 75°C and eaten soon after.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Processed meats only if cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away.Source

  • New Zealand

    • Cold bologna, sliced from the pack or the deliAvoid
    • Bologna fried or heated until steaming hotCheck
    • Health NZAvoid cold meats from deli counters and sandwich bars, and packaged sliced ready-to-eat meats.Source
What to check

Before you eat bologna.

  1. Heat it until steaming hot

    Health Canada names bologna, with roast beef and turkey, among the non-dried deli meats to avoid unless they're heated until steaming hot. The FDA and FoodSafety.gov give 165°F (74°C). Health Canada

  2. Eat it straight after heating

    Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says processed meats are OK if they're cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away. A fried bologna sandwich packed for later and eaten cold no longer meets that. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

  3. In Australia and New Zealand, skip cold bologna sandwiches

    Health NZ advises against cold meats from deli counters and sandwich bars, and packaged sliced ready-to-eat meats. NSW Health says not to eat cold deli meats. Health NZ

Questions

About bologna
in pregnancy.

With cold bologna, it shows Check in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland and Avoid in Australia and New Zealand. With the bologna fried or heated until steaming hot and eaten straight away, it shows Check in all six countries.

Bologna fried until it's steaming hot all the way through shows Check in all six countries. That's what Health Canada and the FDA ask for deli meats: steaming hot, or 74°C (165°F).

The NHS asks for processed, cold pre-cooked meats to be kept chilled and eaten before the use-by date, and Doola Scan shows Check for cold bologna in the UK.

Doola Scan reads both like other bologna: cold, Avoid in Australia and New Zealand and Check in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland. Heat them until steaming hot before eating.

If you've eaten cold bologna and you're worried, talk to your midwife or doctor. They can tell you what to look out for.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. The deli meat advice applies from the first weeks of pregnancy to the last.

Yes. Take a photo of the pack, the plate or the menu, and Doola Scan checks it against your country's pregnancy guidance, with what to ask. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
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Point Doola at a plate, a menu or a label. It checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance and shows its sources. Food scans are free, 3 a day.

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Doola shows what official guidance says; it never diagnoses. No known issues means none of these countries' pregnancy guidance names it, not a promise that a food is safe.