Cured Meats (Prosciutto, Salami, Pepperoni)
Everyday exposureFood & drinkAlso called · 9 names▾▴
prosciutto in pregnancy, salami while pregnant, pepperoni pregnancy, cured meat, dry sausage, fermented sausage, chorizo, cold cured meat, pepperoni pizza
Meats
General information · effects depend on amount, timing, and how it is used. About these sources
Research strength: 3 / 5
CDC lists unheated deli meat, cold cuts, and dry or fermented sausages among riskier pregnancy food choices and says to heat them to 165°F (74°C) or until steaming hot. NHS specifically names cold cured meats such as salami, pepperoni, chorizo, and prosciutto and advises cooking them until steaming hot before eating. This guidance offers a heat-based precaution and does not quantify the chance of infection from a single serving. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Sources
- CDC pregnancy food tableUS government
- NHS pregnancy food guidanceUK government
Research strength: 3 / 5
Gracia et al. (2024) detected viable T. gondii in 6 of 552 sampled Spanish dry-cured products through mouse bioassay, but this product survey did not measure illness in pregnant consumers or a single-serving probability. CDC says to heat deli meat, cold cuts, and dry or fermented sausages to 165°F (74°C) or until steaming hot. NHS specifically names cold cured meats including salami, pepperoni, chorizo, and prosciutto and advises cooking them until steaming hot. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Sources
- CDC pregnancy food tableUS government
- NHS pregnancy food guidanceUK government
- Gracia et al. 2024, Food Control
Research strength: 3 / 5
CDC lists unheated deli meat, cold cuts, and dry or fermented sausages among riskier pregnancy food choices and says to heat them to 165°F (74°C) or until steaming hot. NHS specifically names cold cured meats such as salami, pepperoni, chorizo, and prosciutto and advises cooking them until steaming hot before eating. These recommendations give a heat-based precaution and do not estimate risk from a single serving. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Sources
- CDC pregnancy food tableUS government
- NHS pregnancy food guidanceUK government
Cured Meats (Prosciutto, Salami, Pepperoni) — Breastfeeding
Research strength: 2 / 5
CDC's and NHS's pages reviewed here address food choices in pregnancy and do not give a cured-meat-specific breastfeeding restriction. No lactation-specific cured-meat study was identified among the sources reviewed. This entry makes no claim about an effect through milk or on an infant. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Sources
- CDC pregnancy food tableUS government
- NHS pregnancy food guidanceUK government
Pregnancy
Cook et al. (2000) reported population-attributable fractions of 30% to 63% for undercooked or cured meat products across six European centres, but the type of meat differed by centre. In the detailed breakdown, the salami-attributable fraction was 10% to 14% in Milan, Naples, and Brussels and 3% to 5% elsewhere; the adjusted salami association was not statistically significant. These population-level estimates are not the probability from one cured-meat serving. Gracia et al. (2022) tested raw and dry-cured ham from one experimentally infected pig. Mouse bioassay found viable T. gondii after freezing at -20°C for 7 days for raw ham and 14 days for dry-cured ham. Gracia et al. (2024) examined 552 retail Spanish products; parasite viability was indicated in 6 products by mouse bioassay, including 3 of 311 hams or shoulders and 3 of 241 sausages. Product-label variables did not significantly predict viability. These product results do not estimate illness probability in pregnant consumers or the chance from one serving. Genchi et al. (2017) found no viable parasite in Parma hams processed under consortium rules and cured for 12, 14, or 16 months; this is a process-specific result. A 2025 raw-ham study detected T. gondii in 26 of 38 raw hams from seropositive pigs before curing; it studied raw material for cured products, not finished cured meat or infection in people. CDC and NHS provide separate heat-based food guidance for pregnancy.
Breastfeeding
The CDC and NHS food pages reviewed address pregnancy and do not provide a cured-meat-specific breastfeeding rule. No lactation-specific cured-meat study or breastfeeding-specific restriction was identified among the sources reviewed. These sources do not establish an effect through milk or on an infant.
This entry covers cold, ready-to-eat cured meats such as prosciutto and dry or fermented sausages such as salami and pepperoni. CDC groups cold cuts and dry or fermented sausages in its pregnancy food table. NHS specifically includes cold cured salami, pepperoni, chorizo, and prosciutto. Curing methods and product processing vary, so findings for one process do not establish results for every product.
What was tested
Cook et al. used case-control interviews about food and environmental exposures and calculated population-attributable fractions; those are population-level estimates, not per-serving probabilities. Gracia et al. (2022) tested ham from one experimentally inoculated pig using mouse bioassay and qPCR after freezing. Gracia et al. (2024) tested retail Spanish products using qPCR and mouse bioassay of positive samples, and assessed label variables for an association with viability. Genchi et al. tested hams produced under Parma Ham rules using PCR, mouse bioassay, and in-vitro culture. The 2025 study tested raw ham and heart and tongue tissues from seropositive pigs before curing. None of these studies measured infection probability from one meal or a pregnancy outcome from a particular serving.
Whether processing results generalize across cured-meat products
- Source A says
- Genchi et al. detected no viable parasites in hams processed under the Parma Ham consortium rules and cured for 12, 14, or 16 months. (Genchi et al. 2017, Food Microbiology)
- Source B says
- A domestic-freezing experiment found viable T. gondii after freezing ham at -20°C for 7 days (raw) or 14 days (dry-cured), and a Spanish retail survey found parasite viability in 6 of 552 products. (Gracia et al. 2022, Journal of Food Protection, Gracia et al. 2024, Food Control full text)
- Why they differ
- The studies tested different products, sample origins, parasite exposure, processing conditions, and laboratory methods. A result for the Parma Ham process or a laboratory-frozen ham cannot establish results for every product. The retail survey measured viability in samples, not infection probability from a serving.
- Other sources
- RIVM's 2025 risk model states that it assumes freezing of meat occurs at a time and temperature combination sufficient to inactivate all T. gondii; this is a model assumption, not a test of each consumer's freezer history. CDC and NHS provide separate heat-based guidance for listed meats. (RIVM 2025, Toxoplasma infections through meat in the Netherlands, CDC pregnancy food table, NHS pregnancy food guidance)
- What the evidence shows overall
- The product-specific results differ, and none quantify a single-serving probability of infection. RIVM's freezing statement is a model assumption and does not establish the outcome for every home freezer or product. CDC's 165°F or steaming-hot advice and the NHS steaming-hot advice are actionable heat-based precautions.
- CDC lists deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages for heating to 165°F or until steaming hot. (CDC pregnancy food table)
- NHS names cold cured meats including salami, pepperoni, chorizo, and prosciutto, and advises cooking them until steaming hot before eating. (NHS pregnancy food guidance)
Not enough research found yet.
Experiences from moms and non-medical voices. Not medical evidence.
- Cook et al. 2000, BMJ full textUS governmentPrimaryPage dated 2000-07-15
- Gracia et al. 2022, Journal of Food ProtectionUS governmentPrimaryPage dated 2022-04-01
- Gracia et al. 2024, Food Control full textPrimaryPage dated 2023-09-01
- Genchi et al. 2017, Food MicrobiologyUS governmentPrimaryPage dated 2017-04-22
- RIVM 2025, Toxoplasma infections through meat in the NetherlandsSecondary
- CDC pregnancy food tableUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2025-01-31
- NHS pregnancy food guidanceUK governmentSecondaryPage dated 2026-06-15Independent check
- Berdejo et al. 2025, Foods full textUS governmentPrimaryPage dated 2025-12-17
Last reviewed 2026-10-18
Independent check 2026-10-18
Not yet clinician-reviewed
Ask your provider about your situation.