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Can I eat mortadella while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Mortadella only meets the pregnancy guidance in all six countries when it's heated until steaming hot; cold, Australia and New Zealand advise against it. Doola Scan reads mortadella as a cold pre-cooked deli meat, which can carry listeria. Cold slices show Check in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland, and Avoid in Australia and New Zealand. Heated until steaming hot, on a hot sandwich or pizza, it shows Check in all six.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

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

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaIrelandAvoidAustraliaNew Zealand

  • Mortadella heated until steaming hot, in a toasted sandwich, on pizza or fried

    CheckIn all six countries
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What each country says

Mortadella while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on mortadella, 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 mortadella, from the deli counter or a packAvoid
    • Mortadella heated until steaming hot, in a toasted sandwich, on pizza or friedCheck
    • 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 mortadella, from the deli counter or a packAvoid
    • Mortadella heated until steaming hot, in a toasted sandwich, on pizza or friedCheck
    • 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 mortadella.

  1. Heat it until steaming hot

    The FDA lists hot dogs, deli meats and luncheon meats among foods not to eat in pregnancy unless they're reheated until steaming hot. FoodSafety.gov gives 165°F, and Australia's Pregnancy Birth and Baby at least 75°C. FDA

  2. Eat it straight after heating

    Pregnancy Birth and Baby asks for processed meats to be cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away. A toasted mortadella sandwich left to go cold no longer meets that line. Pregnancy Birth and Baby

  3. In the UK, keep it chilled and in date

    The NHS's line for processed cold pre-cooked meats, such as ham, is to keep them chilled and eat them before the use-by date. Its line for cold cured meats, such as salami, is to cook them until steaming hot. NHS

  4. In New Zealand, skip cold deli slices

    Health NZ advises avoiding cold meats from deli counters and sandwich bars, and packaged sliced ready-to-eat meats. Heated through, mortadella shows Check in New Zealand. Health NZ

Questions

About mortadella
in pregnancy.

It depends on whether it's hot. Cold mortadella is Avoid in Australia and New Zealand and Check in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland. Heated until steaming hot, Doola Scan shows Check in all six countries.

It's cooked when it's made, then sliced and eaten cold. The FDA says listeria can grow at fridge temperatures, where most other foodborne bacteria do not, which is why deli meats are heated again.

A cold sandwich follows the cold-mortadella lines. On a pizza or in a toasted sandwich, the guidance is that the meat itself gets steaming hot, 165°F in the US and at least 75°C in Australia, and is eaten straight away.

Pistachios on their own show No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries. The guidance for mortadella is about the deli meat, not the nuts.

The guidance lowers a small risk; it isn't a sign that something is wrong. Pregnancy Birth and Baby says to see your doctor or midwife if you're worried or have symptoms such as fever, aches or an upset stomach.

The deli meat guidance is the same all through pregnancy. None of the six countries changes it by trimester.

In the six countries Doola Scan covers, mortadella meets the pregnancy guidance heated until steaming hot. Cold slices are Avoid in Australia and New Zealand and Check in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland.

Doola Scan reads mortadella as a deli meat. The guidance of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland is to heat deli meats until steaming hot, or keep them chilled and in date in the UK.
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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.