Deli Meat
Meat
Deli meat means pre-sliced, ready-to-eat meats such as turkey, chicken, ham and roast beef from the counter or a packet. In pregnancy it is a listeria risk eaten cold, and fine once heated until steaming hot.
Why it's good in pregnancy
Sliced turkey, chicken or beef is an easy source of protein, iron and zinc, nutrients that support your rising blood volume and your baby's growth. Warming the slices in a toasted sandwich or on a pizza keeps the convenience without the risk.
Key nutrients
Serving ideas
Safety
Ready-to-eat meats are sliced and packed after cooking, and listeria can settle on them at the slicer or in the pack and keep multiplying in the fridge. The infection is rare but in pregnancy it can cross to your baby, which is why UK, US and Australian guidance is to avoid cold deli meats or heat them first. Heating until steaming hot — about 74°C (165°F), the point where a toasted sandwich is too hot to bite straight away — kills listeria. Meat you roast at home and slice yourself, eaten within a couple of days, is a safe cold alternative, and tinned meats are fine too.
Heat sliced deli meat until steaming hot before eating.Meat you roasted and sliced yourself is fine cold within two days.Keep opened packs chilled and use within two days.Buy pre-packed slices rather than counter-cut ones where the same slicer handles many meats, and check the use-by date. Once a pack is open, keep it below 5°C (41°F) and use it within two days. Heat the slices in a pan, under the grill, in the microwave or inside a toastie until they are steaming throughout — warm is not enough. Most deli meats are high in salt and some contain nitrites, so make them an occasional filling rather than a daily one.