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Can I eat ham while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Ham meets the pregnancy guidance of all six countries when it's heated until steaming hot; cold sliced ham shows Check in Doola Scan in the US, UK and Canada and Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. Australia's Pregnancy, Birth and Baby names ham among cold cured meats to avoid unless cooked to 75°C, and Ireland's HSE names Parma ham among cold cured meats to avoid. The NHS asks for cold pre-cooked ham to be kept chilled and eaten before the use-by date, and for cured meats such as prosciutto to be cooked until steaming hot.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Cold sliced ham, from a pack or the deli counter

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaAvoidAustraliaNew ZealandIreland

  • Cured ham such as serrano or Parma, served cold

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaAustraliaAvoidNew ZealandIreland

  • Ham heated until steaming hot: a baked or glazed ham served hot, or ham in a hot dish

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

Ham while pregnant: what each country says.

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

  • United States

    Check
    • FDAAvoid cold cuts and deli meats unless reheated until steaming hot (not just chilled and in date).Source
    • FDAAvoid deli meats, fermented and dry sausage unless reheated until steaming hot.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
    Leftover ham from a roast or holiday dinner
    • 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
    • NHSCured meat may carry listeria or toxoplasma.Source
    • NHSCold cured meats (salami, pepperoni, chorizo, prosciutto) should be cooked until steaming hot.Source
    Leftover ham from a roast or holiday dinner
    • 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
    • CPSOnly non-dried deli meats are listed; dried cured meats are not.Source
    • Health CanadaDried and salted deli meats such as salami and pepperoni are listed as SAFER alternatives (no cooking/freezing needed).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
    Leftover ham from a roast or holiday dinner
    • 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

    • Cold sliced ham, from a pack or the deli counterAvoid
    • Cured ham such as serrano or Parma, served coldCheck
    • Ham heated until steaming hot: a baked or glazed ham served hot, or ham in a hot dishCheck
    • 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
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Avoid ham, salami and fermented meats unless cooked or heated.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Avoid cold cured meats (salami, ham, luncheon meat) unless cooked 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
    Leftover ham from a roast or holiday dinner
    • 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

    • Cold sliced ham, from a pack or the deli counterAvoid
    • Cured ham such as serrano or Parma, served coldAvoid
    • Ham heated until steaming hot: a baked or glazed ham served hot, or ham in a hot dishCheck
    • MPI (NZ Food Safety)Avoid cold cooked or smoked chicken and chilled RTE deli/buffet foods unless heated piping hot.Source
    • MPI (NZ Food Safety)Avoid processed meats (ham, pâté, salami, luncheon) in pregnancy.Source
    • Health NZAvoid cold meats from deli counters and sandwich bars, and packaged sliced ready-to-eat meats.Source
    Leftover ham from a roast or holiday dinner
    • 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

  • Ireland

    • Cold sliced ham, from a pack or the deli counterAvoid
    • Cured ham such as serrano or Parma, served coldAvoid
    • Ham heated until steaming hot: a baked or glazed ham served hot, or ham in a hot dishCheck
    • HSEAvoid cold cured meats such as salami, parma ham, chorizo and pepperoni.Source
What to check

Before you eat ham.

  1. Heat ham until steaming hot

    Health Canada names ham among the non-dried deli meats to avoid unless they're cooked until steaming hot. FoodSafety.gov gives the number for deli meats: 165°F. Health Canada

  2. In the UK, keep cooked ham chilled and in date

    The NHS asks for processed, cold pre-cooked meats such as ham to be kept chilled and eaten before the use-by date. For cold cured meats such as prosciutto, its line is cooked until steaming hot. NHS

  3. In Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, eat it hot

    Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks you to avoid cold cured meats such as ham, unless cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away. Health NZ advises against packaged sliced ready-to-eat meats, and the HSE lists cold cured meats such as Parma ham among foods to avoid. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

  4. Chill leftover ham within 2 hours

    The UK Food Standards Agency asks for leftovers cooled and in the fridge within 2 hours, eaten within 48 hours and reheated only once, until steaming hot. Leftover ham shows Check in all six countries. FSA

Questions

About ham
in pregnancy.

The guidance is about lowering a small risk from here on, not a sign that something is wrong. If you're worried or feel unwell, talk to your midwife or doctor.

Doola Scan reads uncured ham like other ham: Check in the US, UK and Canada and Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland when it's cold. Heated until steaming hot, it shows Check in all six.

Cold, they show Check in the US, UK, Canada and Australia and Avoid in New Zealand and Ireland. The NHS asks for cured meats such as prosciutto to be cooked until steaming hot, and the HSE names Parma ham among cold cured meats to avoid.

A honey baked ham eaten cold reads like cold ham: Check in the US, UK and Canada and Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. Served hot, heated until steaming all through, it shows Check in all six.

Being cooked when it was made isn't the same as heated now. Health Canada names packaged ham among deli meats to heat until steaming hot, while the NHS asks for cold pre-cooked ham to be kept chilled and eaten before the use-by date.

Smoked ham, eaten cold, shows Check in the US, UK and Canada and Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. Heated until steaming hot, it shows Check in all six.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. None of the six countries changes its cold meat advice by stage of pregnancy.

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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.