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Can I eat corned beef while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Cold corned beef, from the deli or the can, 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. Corned beef is a cooked, cured meat often eaten cold, and the FDA says listeria can grow on deli meats in the fridge. The FDA asks for them heated to 165°F or until steaming hot, and Australia asks for at least 75°C, eaten straight away.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Cold sliced corned beef, from the deli or a pack

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaIrelandAvoidAustraliaNew Zealand

  • Canned corned beef, eaten cold from the can

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaIrelandAvoidAustraliaNew Zealand

  • Corned beef heated until steaming hot, in a pan or a hot sandwich

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Corned beef hash, fried until hot

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

Corned beef while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on corned beef, 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Australia

    • Cold sliced corned beef, from the deli or a packAvoid
    • Canned corned beef, eaten cold from the canAvoid
    • Corned beef heated until steaming hot, in a pan or a hot sandwichCheck
    • Corned beef hash, fried until hotCheck
    • 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

  • New Zealand

    • Cold sliced corned beef, from the deli or a packAvoid
    • Canned corned beef, eaten cold from the canAvoid
    • Corned beef heated until steaming hot, in a pan or a hot sandwichCheck
    • Corned beef hash, fried until hotCheck
    • 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
What to check

Before you eat corned beef.

  1. Heat it until steaming hot

    The FDA asks for deli and luncheon meats heated to 165°F (74°C) or until steaming hot, and says heating kills listeria. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby's number is at least 75°C, eaten straight away. FDA

  2. Treat canned corned beef like cold cooked meat

    Doola Scan reads canned corned beef under the advice on cold cooked meats. FSANZ asks vulnerable people to avoid packaged sliced cold meats unless they are freshly cooked or reheated until steaming hot, and a hash or a stew cooked through is reheated. FSANZ

  3. Keep opened corned beef cold and use it soon

    The FDA asks for leftovers refrigerated within 2 hours and eaten within 3 to 4 days. The NHS asks for cold pre-cooked meats to be kept chilled and eaten before the use-by date. NHS

Questions

About corned beef
in pregnancy.

Eaten cold from the can, it shows Check in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland and Avoid in Australia and New Zealand. The NHS lists tinned meats among the foods you can have in pregnancy. Cooked into a hash or a stew until steaming hot, canned corned beef shows Check in all six countries.

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

Silverside is what corned beef is often called in Australia and New Zealand. Served hot from the pot, it falls under heated corned beef, Check in all six countries; cold slices show Avoid in Australia and New Zealand.

A hot corned beef sandwich shows Check in all six countries. Ask for the meat itself to be steaming hot, not just the bread toasted.

If 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. Heat corned beef until steaming hot from the first weeks of pregnancy to the last.

Yes. Take a photo of the can, the pack 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.