Is it true your not supposed to eat deli meat when pregnant and why?

Question

I heard this today, I have never heard it before. Is it true, and if it is, why is deli meat bad for the baby?

Answer 1

Is it safe to eat deli meats when I'm pregnant?


Expert Answers
Thomas Bader, assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
I always give my patients a brochure from the Food and Drug Administration that warns them not to eat hot dogs, lunchmeats, or deli meats unless they're thoroughly cooked or reheated. It also says not to eat soft cheeses or refrigerated paté or meat spreads. (Hard cheeses, canned meat spreads, and tinned patés are all right.) You need to avoid these foods because they may contain bacteria called listeria that can make you sick. When you're not pregnant, this illness isn't such a big deal. But listeriosis is one of the few infections — including toxoplasmosis, rubella, and cytomegalovirus — that can cross the placenta and actually infect the baby. It can cause birth defects, premature labor, or even miscarriage. The vast majority of deli foods are not contaminated. But they are foods that are not always handled properly. When you walk into your local grocery, do you really know that the Brie has always been kept at 40 degrees, as it should be? Since you don't, I advise against eating it.

Larry Pickering, infectious disease specialist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
It's not safe to eat deli meats (or hot dogs) when you're pregnant unless they're heated until steaming hot. Pregnant women are about 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis, and newborns — not moms — suffer the most serious effects of infection during pregnancy. Listeria can cross the placental barrier, or more commonly, be transmitted in the birth canal, which can be devastating for the baby.

Every year or so, an outbreak occurs in which miscarriage, preterm delivery, or death occurs because pregnant women ate deli meat or hot dogs contaminated with listeria. The contamination may result from improper handling or it may already be present in the meat. But whatever the source, unlike other bacteria, listeria grows well at refrigerator temperatures. So while we think we're being safe by putting cold cuts in the refrigerator, this germ outsmarts us.

You should also avoid getting fluid from hot dog packages on other foods, utensils, or food preparation areas, and be sure to wash your hands after handling hot dogs or deli meats. Listeria is also a problem in unpasteurized milk, in refrigerated pâtés, and in soft cheeses. If cheeses are not made from pasteurized milk, I would stay away from them.

Answer 2

I ate deli meat, but in small amounts. I found this info and thought it was interesting.

"Larry Pickering, infectious disease specialist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
It's not safe to eat deli meats (or hot dogs) when you're pregnant unless they're heated until steaming hot. Pregnant women are about 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis, and newborns — not moms — suffer the most serious effects of infection during pregnancy. Listeria can cross the placental barrier, or more commonly, be transmitted in the birth canal, which can be devastating for the baby."

Answer 3

thats the 1st time i heard that too. My little girl turned out fine and i ate deli meat almost everyday that i was pregnant. Shes 4 weeks old now. I guess i will lay off the deli meat with my next child.

Answer 4

Yes it is true, you are only allowed to eat meat which has been sealed, but i eat sandwiches that have been made at my local deli only because i know they are made fresh everyday and i know the people there. And you cant have cold chicken either. Meat that has not been wrapped up contains ALOT of bacteria and you and bub can get a thing called Listeria Infection. It is very dangerous for you and bub and often women who get it end up losing the baby!

So just be careful with the cold meats! congrats on your little one!

Answer 5

Jaymz, I am also in Australia and am very suprised that you would not have been given this information. Not only was I told by my doctor on my initial visit after I found out I was pregnant, it was reconfirmed at my hospital booking in visit to a midwife and also in the information book which the hospital gave me on pregnancy & childbirth.

I would suggest you seek out a doctor who has a lot of experience with prenatal care rather than your GP, who may not be aware of all the info regarding risks in pregnancy.

Also, further to not being able to eat deli meat, I was advised against eating premade salads (eg the type you can buy packaged in the supermarket, or ones you buy when you go into cafes or other food stores and see all the premade salads displayed in the window.

Answer 6

Because of the bacteria listeria. They say u can eat it but microwave it for a few seconds to kill the bacteria. Listeria is a bacteria u can get and it can cause the baby to miscarry or still birth is what I have heard. I ate deli meats all the time.

Answer 7

You're not supposed to eat a lot of it because it can have listeria in it which is a bacteria that can harm the baby. It is okay to eat deli meat if you heat it first though.

Answer 8

Yes, that is true!

Deli meats can carry listeria, which can cause miscarriage. Don't eat deli meats or hot dogs unless you heat them to steaming.

Answer 9

Well im from Australia and no doctor has every told me that and im 13 weeks preg! My doctor told me Salami and Cabanissi and that deli meats were harmless and im going to go off what my doctor says not some women in a chat room.

Answer 10

I have never heard this but I am curious to hear what others say. I'm 5 weeks pg and I just had a deli sandwich!