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Can I eat Slim Jims while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Slim Jims show Check in Doola Scan in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland and Avoid in Australia and New Zealand, because Doola Scan reads a Slim Jim as a dry sausage meat stick, eaten cold from the wrapper. FoodSafety.gov asks pregnant women to reheat fermented or dry sausage to 165°F or until steaming hot, and the NHS asks the same for cold cured meats such as pepperoni. Australia and New Zealand advise against cold processed meats unless they're heated through.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Slim Jim or a similar meat stick, from the pack

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaIrelandAvoidAustraliaNew Zealand
Doola Scan checking a plate
What each country says

Slim Jim while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on Slim Jim, 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

    Avoid
    • 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

    Avoid
    • Health NZAvoid cold meats from deli counters and sandwich bars, and packaged sliced ready-to-eat meats.Source
What to check

Before you eat Slim Jim.

  1. Heat it until steaming hot, or choose another snack

    FoodSafety.gov asks pregnant women to reheat hot dogs, deli meats and fermented or dry sausage to 165°F or until steaming hot. A meat stick sliced into a hot dish and heated through shows Check in all six countries. FoodSafety.gov

  2. In Australia and New Zealand, skip cold meat sticks

    Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks for processed meats to be cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away. Health NZ advises against packaged sliced ready-to-eat meats and cold meats from deli counters. Doola Scan shows Avoid for a cold meat stick in both. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

  3. Read the label for sodium

    On a US label, the FDA counts 5% Daily Value of sodium or less per serving as low and 20% or more as high. The nutrition panel shows how much of your day one stick uses. FDA

Questions

About Slim Jim
in pregnancy.

Doola Scan shows Check in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland and Avoid in Australia and New Zealand. The guidance on dry and fermented sausage is about listeria, and heating until steaming hot is what the US and UK bodies ask for.

The guidance is about lowering a small risk, not a sign that something is wrong. If you've eaten one and you're worried, talk to your midwife or doctor.

Doola Scan reads it under the guidance on dry sausage. FoodSafety.gov names fermented or dry sausage among the foods to reheat to 165°F, and the NHS asks for cured meats such as pepperoni and salami to be cooked until steaming hot.

Health Canada lists dried and salted deli meats, such as some pepperoni and salami, among its "safer" choices, and asks for non-dried deli meats to be heated until steaming hot. Its guidance doesn't name meat sticks, and Doola Scan shows Check in Canada.

Doola Scan reads them differently. Beef jerky shows No known issues in all six countries: none of these countries' pregnancy food lists names jerky. Pepperoni sticks show Check in all six, under the guidance on cured meats.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. Listeria guidance applies from the first weeks of pregnancy to the last, so a cold Slim Jim has the same verdict all the way through.

Yes. Take a photo of the wrapper or the ingredients, and Doola Scan checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
Doola Scan

Not sure about a meal? Scan it.

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.