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Can I eat pepperoni pizza while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Pepperoni pizza, fresh or frozen, gets Check from Doola Scan in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland: the check is that the pepperoni is baked until steaming hot. The NHS lists pepperoni with the cold cured meats to cook until steaming hot, and FoodSafety.gov asks for dry sausage reheated to steaming hot or 165°F. Cold pepperoni, as a snack or added after baking, is different: Doola Scan shows Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, and Check in the US, UK and Canada.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Pepperoni pizza baked hot, takeaway or homemade

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Frozen pepperoni pizza, baked at home

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

Pepperoni pizza while pregnant: what each country says.

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

  • United States

    Check
    • 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 pizza
    • 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
    • NHSCured meat may carry listeria or toxoplasma.Source
    • NHSCold cured meats (salami, pepperoni, chorizo, prosciutto) should be cooked until steaming hot.Source
    Leftover pizza
    • 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
    • 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 pizza
    • 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

    Check
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Avoid ham, salami and fermented meats unless 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)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 pizza
    • 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

    Check
    • 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 pizza
    • 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

    Check
    • HSEAvoid cold cured meats such as salami, parma ham, chorizo and pepperoni.Source
What to check

Before you eat pepperoni pizza.

  1. Bake until the pepperoni is steaming hot

    The NHS lists cold cured meats such as salami, pepperoni, chorizo and prosciutto among the foods to cook until steaming hot in pregnancy. By that line, pepperoni baked on the pizza is cooked; slices laid on after baking aren't. NHS

  2. In Australia, eat it straight from the oven

    Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks you to avoid cold cured meats such as salami unless cooked to 75°C and eaten straight away. By that line, a pizza eaten fresh and hot fits; pepperoni pizza left to go cold doesn't. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

  3. Reheat leftover slices until steaming hot

    The FSA asks for leftovers to be cooled and refrigerated within 2 hours, eaten within 48 hours and reheated only once, until steaming hot throughout. Health NZ asks for leftovers reheated until piping hot and never eaten cold, and FSANZ asks pregnant women to eat refrigerated leftovers within 1 day. FSA

Questions

About pepperoni pizza
in pregnancy.

Cold pepperoni shows Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, and Check in the US, UK and Canada. Ireland's HSE names pepperoni among the cold cured meats to avoid, while Health Canada lists dried and salted deli meats such as pepperoni as a lower-risk choice. Baked hot on a pizza, it shows Check in all six.

Doola Scan shows Check for pepperoni pizza in all six countries. The check is that the pepperoni is cooked until steaming hot, which is what the NHS, FoodSafety.gov and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby ask for cured meats.

Leftovers show Check in all six countries, and the advice is to reheat them. The FSA asks for leftovers reheated once, until steaming hot throughout, and Health NZ says they should never be eaten cold.

Frozen pepperoni pizza shows Check in all six countries, as takeaway pizza does. Bake it until the pepperoni is steaming hot and eat it soon after.

Grated mozzarella baked on a pizza shows No known issues in Doola Scan. The NHS accepts any cheese cooked until steaming hot, and FSANZ accepts soft cheese baked to 75°C.

La pizza de pepperoni tiene Check en los seis países: el pepperoni debe hornearse hasta que esté muy caliente. El pepperoni frío tiene Avoid en Australia, Nueva Zelanda e Irlanda.

Doola Scan viser Check for pepperonipizza i alle seks lande: pepperonien skal bages, til den er rygende varm. Kold pepperoni viser Avoid i Australien, New Zealand og Irland.

Yes. Take a photo of the pizza, the menu or the box, and Doola Scan checks every topping against your country's pregnancy guidance. 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.