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Can I eat pastrami while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Pastrami only meets the guidance heated until it's steaming hot. It's a deli meat, and listeria can grow on deli meats even in the fridge. The US and Canada say to heat them until steaming hot (165°F or 74°C), the NHS says the same for cold cured meats, and Australia and New Zealand advise against cold deli meats altogether.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Cold pastrami, from the deli or a pack

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaIrelandAvoidAustraliaNew Zealand

  • Pastrami heated until steaming hot

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

Pastrami while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on pastrami, 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

    • Cold pastrami, from the deli or a packAvoid
    • Pastrami heated 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

    • Cold pastrami, from the deli or a packAvoid
    • Pastrami heated 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 pastrami.

  1. Heat it until steaming hot all the way through

    The FDA and Health Canada give 165°F (74°C), and Australia's Pregnancy, Birth and Baby at least 75°C. Pastrami heated in a hot sandwich or a pan counts; cold slices from the counter or the pack don't. FDA

  2. Eat it soon after heating

    Australia's guidance is to eat heated processed meats straight away, not to let them cool and sit. A hot sandwich that has gone cold on the way home no longer meets it. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

  3. Ask how a sandwich is made

    Many delis serve pastrami cold or only just warm. New Zealand advises against cold meats from deli counters and sandwich bars, and packaged sliced ready-to-eat meats too. Health NZ

Questions

About pastrami
in pregnancy.

Pastrami heated until steaming hot, like the meat in a hot pastrami sandwich straight off the grill, is what the US, UK and Canadian guidance asks for. The FDA says listeria grows at fridge temperatures and heating kills it.

It's cooked when it's made, but it's sold and eaten cold, and listeria can grow on it in the fridge after that. That's why the guidance asks you to heat it again.

Only if the meat is heated until steaming hot. A cold or lukewarm sandwich doesn't meet the guidance in any of these six countries, and Australia and New Zealand advise against cold deli meats altogether.

A Reuben is usually grilled, so the question is whether the pastrami inside gets steaming hot, not just the bread. Ask for the meat to be heated through. Its Swiss cheese is a hard cheese, and Doola Scan shows No known issues for it in all six countries.

No. Health Canada and FSANZ name packaged sliced meats as well as deli-counter ones, so packet pastrami needs heating until steaming hot too.

The guidance is about lowering a small risk, not a sign that something is wrong. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says to see your doctor or midwife straight away if you're worried or have symptoms such as fever, aches or an upset stomach, which can appear weeks later.

The guidance is the same in every trimester: heat pastrami until steaming hot. Listeria guidance applies all through pregnancy.

Pastrami is a deli meat, so the guidance of these six countries is to eat it only heated until steaming hot (74 to 75°C). Cold pastrami doesn't meet it.

Only heated until steaming hot all the way through. The US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland all treat pastrami as a deli meat that can carry listeria.

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