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Can I eat hot dogs while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Hot dogs heated until steaming hot show Check in Doola Scan in all six countries, because heating is the step the guidance asks for. Eaten cold or only warmed, a hot dog shows Check in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland and Avoid in Australia and New Zealand, which advise against cold processed and deli meats. The reason is listeria: the FDA says it can grow at fridge temperatures, and heating kills it. USDA's number is 165°F, and Health Canada's is 74°C.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Hot dogs or frankfurters straight from the pack, or only warmed

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaIrelandAvoidAustraliaNew Zealand

  • Hot dogs boiled, grilled or microwaved until steaming hot

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

Hot dog while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on hot dog, 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

    • Hot dogs or frankfurters straight from the pack, or only warmedAvoid
    • Hot dogs boiled, grilled or microwaved 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

    • Hot dogs or frankfurters straight from the pack, or only warmedAvoid
    • Hot dogs boiled, grilled or microwaved 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 hot dog.

  1. Heat every hot dog to 165°F (74°C)

    USDA asks pregnant women to avoid hot dogs that haven't been heated to 165°F, and Health Canada asks for hot dogs heated to 74°C rather than eaten straight from the pack. USDA FSIS

  2. In Australia and New Zealand, never eat them cold

    Health NZ advises avoiding packaged sliced ready-to-eat meats and cold meats from deli counters, and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks for processed meats cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away. A cold or lukewarm hot dog shows Avoid in both countries. Health NZ

  3. Eat it soon after heating

    NSW Food Authority asks for processed meats cooked to at least 75°C and eaten soon after. A hot dog left to cool at a barbecue or a stall has dropped below that. NSW Food Authority

Questions

About hot dog
in pregnancy.

The advice is about cold hot dogs: heated until steaming hot, they show Check in Doola Scan in all six countries. The FDA says listeria grows at fridge temperatures, and heating kills it.

Heated until steaming hot, hot dogs meet the guidance of all six countries and show Check. Cold or only warm, they show Avoid in Australia and New Zealand and Check in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland.

FoodSafety.gov asks pregnant women to reheat hot dogs, deli meats and dry sausage until steaming hot or 165°F. The FDA explains that listeria can grow at fridge temperatures.

Beef hot dogs get the same verdict as any hot dog: Check in all six countries heated until steaming hot, and Avoid in Australia and New Zealand eaten cold. The meat inside doesn't change the advice; the heat does.

Ask for one straight off the grill or out of the boiling water, steaming hot all the way through. One that has sat in a warm tray or bun for a while is the kind Pregnancy, Birth and Baby's eat-it-straight-away line is about.

The guidance is there to lower a small risk. If you're worried, or you have a fever, aches or an upset stomach, talk to your midwife or doctor.

The guidance is the same in every trimester: heat hot dogs until steaming hot. None of the six countries changes it by trimester.

Yes. Take a photo of the pack, the menu or the plate, and Doola Scan checks the hot dog and its toppings against your country's pregnancy guidance. 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.