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Can I eat summer sausage while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Cold summer sausage shows Check in Doola Scan for the US, UK and Canada and Avoid for Australia, New Zealand and Ireland; heated until steaming hot, it shows Check in all six. Summer sausage is a cured, fermented sausage usually sliced and eaten cold. The FDA asks for fermented and dry sausage to be reheated until steaming hot, and FoodSafety.gov gives 165°F. Ireland's HSE lists cold cured meats as foods to avoid.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Summer sausage sliced cold, from a pack, a gift box or a board

    CheckUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaAvoidAustraliaNew ZealandIreland

  • Summer sausage heated until steaming hot, fried or in a cooked dish

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

Summer sausage while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on summer sausage, 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Australia

    • Summer sausage sliced cold, from a pack, a gift box or a boardAvoid
    • Summer sausage heated until steaming hot, fried or in a cooked dishCheck
    • 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

  • New Zealand

    • Summer sausage sliced cold, from a pack, a gift box or a boardAvoid
    • Summer sausage heated until steaming hot, fried or in a cooked dishCheck
    • 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

  • Ireland

    • Summer sausage sliced cold, from a pack, a gift box or a boardAvoid
    • Summer sausage heated until steaming hot, fried or in a cooked dishCheck
    • HSEAvoid cold cured meats such as salami, parma ham, chorizo and pepperoni.Source
What to check

Before you eat summer sausage.

  1. Heat it until steaming hot

    FoodSafety.gov asks for hot dogs, deli meats and fermented or dry sausage to be reheated until steaming hot or 165°F (74°C) in pregnancy. Fry the slices, or cook them into eggs, pasta or a casserole until hot all the way through. FoodSafety.gov

  2. Eat it straight after heating

    Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says processed meats are OK if they're cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away. Slices heated and then left to cool on a snack board no longer meet that. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

  3. In New Zealand and Ireland, skip cold slices

    Ireland's HSE lists cold cured meats such as salami and pepperoni as foods to avoid in pregnancy. Health NZ advises against cold meats from deli counters and packaged sliced ready-to-eat meats. HSE

Questions

About summer sausage
in pregnancy.

Cold summer sausage shows Check in the US, UK and Canada and Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. Heated until steaming hot, it shows Check in all six, which is what the FDA asks for fermented and dry sausage and the NHS asks for cold cured meats.

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

Slices on a board are cold summer sausage: Check in the US, UK and Canada, Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. Heated until steaming hot and eaten straight away, summer sausage shows Check in all six countries.

Doola Scan reads them the same way. Cold, both show Check in the US, UK and Canada and Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland; cooked until steaming hot, both show Check in all six.

If you've eaten cold summer sausage and you're worried, talk to your midwife or doctor. They can tell you what to look out for.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. The FDA's advice on fermented and dry sausage, and the HSE's on cold cured meats, apply all through pregnancy.

Yes. Take a photo of the pack, the board or the menu, and Doola Scan checks it against your country's pregnancy guidance, with what to ask. 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.