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Can I eat corned beef and cabbage while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Corned beef and cabbage served hot, with the beef steaming hot all the way through, shows Check in Doola Scan in all six countries. Doola Scan reads corned beef under the guidance on cooked and cured meats: the FDA asks for these heated to 165°F or until steaming hot, and Australia's Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks for at least 75°C, eaten straight away. The cabbage and potatoes show No known issues. Cold slices the next day show Avoid in Australia and New Zealand.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Corned beef and cabbage, served hot from the pot

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Corned beef hash made from the leftovers, fried until hot

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

Corned beef and cabbage while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on corned beef and cabbage, 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
    • FDAAvoid cold cuts and deli meats unless reheated until steaming hot (not just chilled and in date).Source
    • 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
    Keeping and reheating leftovers
    • FDAReheating kills bacteria that grow during storage.Source
    • FDARefrigerate within 2 hours, keep cooked meat or poultry leftovers 3 to 4 days, reheat leftovers to 165°F.Source

  • United Kingdom

    Check
    • NHSChilled ready-to-eat meats can carry listeria.Source
    • NHSCold cured meats (salami, pepperoni, chorizo, prosciutto) should be cooked until steaming hot.Source
    Keeping and reheating leftovers
    • FSAFridge within 2 hours, eat within 48 hours, reheat only once until steaming hot throughout.Source
    • FSABacteria grow if food is warmed rather than heated through.Source

  • Canada

    Check
    • CPSAvoid non-dried deli meats (UK: fine if chilled and in date).Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid refrigerated non-dried deli meats unless heated until steaming hot.Source
    • 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
    Keeping and reheating leftovers
    • Health CanadaRefrigerate within 2 hours, eat within 2 to 3 days, reheat to 74°C.Source
    • Health CanadaEat refrigerated leftovers within 2 to 3 days; reheat to 74°C.Source

  • Australia

    Check
    • FSANZAvoid cold RTE meats incl. packaged sliced meats and cold pre-cooked chicken; hot takeaway chicken OK if eaten immediately.Source
    • NSW HealthDo not eat pre-cooked cold chicken.Source
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Cold pre-cooked meats and chicken only if further cooked or heated.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)No cold ready-to-eat meats or cold cooked chicken unless heated to 75°C and eaten straight away.Source
    • 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
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Processed meats only if cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away.Source
    Keeping and reheating leftovers
    • NSW Food AuthorityLeftovers in the fridge, eaten within a day and reheated to at least 60°C.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Leftovers: fridge, reheat thoroughly, not more than one day old.Source
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Avoid leftover meats refrigerated more than a day unless reheated.Source
    • FSANZVulnerable people: eat refrigerated leftovers within 1 day; reheat to 75 °C steaming hot.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Store leftovers in the fridge and use them within a day of cooking.Source

  • New Zealand

    Check
    • MPI (NZ Food Safety)Avoid cold cooked or smoked chicken and chilled RTE deli/buffet foods unless heated piping hot.Source
    • Health NZAvoid cold meats from deli counters and sandwich bars, and packaged sliced ready-to-eat meats.Source
    Keeping and reheating leftovers
    • Health NZLeftovers: fridge, eat within two days, reheat until piping hot (over 70°C); never eat cold.Source
    • Health NZStore leftover cooked or canned food in fridge and use within 2 days (Health NZ listeriosis page: 24 hours).Source
What to check

Before you eat corned beef and cabbage.

  1. Serve the beef steaming hot

    The FDA asks for deli and luncheon meats heated to 165°F or until steaming hot, because listeria grows at fridge temperatures and heating kills it. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks for processed meats cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away, so slice the beef and serve it hot. FDA

  2. Chill leftovers within 2 hours

    The FDA asks for leftovers refrigerated within 2 hours, eaten within 3 to 4 days and reheated to 165°F. FSANZ asks vulnerable people to eat refrigerated leftovers within a day and reheat them to 75°C. FDA

  3. Reheat cold corned beef before a sandwich

    Health NZ advises against cold meats from deli counters and sandwich bars, and packaged sliced ready-to-eat meats. Health Canada asks for non-dried deli meats to be heated until steaming hot. Health NZ

Questions

About corned beef and cabbage
in pregnancy.

Heated until steaming hot, corned beef shows Check in all six countries. Cold, from the deli or the fridge, it shows Check in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland and Avoid in Australia and New Zealand.

Corned beef hash shows Check in Doola Scan in all six countries. Fry it until it's steaming hot all the way through: the FDA's number is 165°F, and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby's is at least 75°C.

Cold corned beef shows Check in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland and Avoid in Australia and New Zealand. Heat it until steaming hot, in a pan or a hot sandwich, and it shows Check in all six.

Cabbage shows No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries, cooked or raw. None of these countries' pregnancy food lists names it.

Canned corned beef eaten cold shows Check in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland and Avoid in Australia and New Zealand. Cooked into a dish until steaming hot, it shows Check in all six countries.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. Serve the beef steaming hot from the first weeks of pregnancy to the last.

Yes. Take a photo of the menu or the plate, and Doola Scan checks each dish against your country's pregnancy guidance, with what to ask the kitchen. Menu scans are part of Premium.
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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.