Is Ham Safe During Pregnancy? (Updated 2026 Guide)
Updated September 9, 2026
The Answer
You can eat ham during pregnancy with the right preparation: heat refrigerated deli ham to 165°F or until steaming hot just before eating, rather than eating it cold. For ham sold raw or requiring cooking, follow the exact preparation instructions.
The main concern with refrigerated deli ham is Listeria, so reheating and safe handling matter more than an ingredient grade. Keep ham refrigerated and prevent cross contamination. Curing ingredients such as sodium nitrite warrant moderation with frequent processed meat intake, but limited observational pregnancy evidence does not establish harm from an occasional serving.
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✓ What's Safe
- • Check whether the package says ready to eat, fully cooked, or requires cooking, and follow its preparation instructions.
- • Heat refrigerated deli ham to 165°F or until steaming hot throughout just before eating.
- • Choose ham you can keep refrigerated until preparation, and follow the package’s storage instructions.
- • Use clean utensils and preparation surfaces, keeping raw meat separate from cooked ham.
- • Make cured ham an occasional choice rather than your everyday protein source.
✗ What to Avoid
- • Cold refrigerated deli ham, including slices in sandwiches, without reheating first.
- • Ham that is only lukewarm after reheating rather than 165°F or steaming hot throughout.
- • Eating raw or cook before eating ham without completing its cooking instructions.
- • Treating uncured, natural, or celery extract labeling as protection against Listeria or nitrate/nitrite exposure.
- • Ham with uncertain refrigeration or handling, and contact between cooked ham and raw meat utensils.
- • Using an A ingredient grade as a reason to skip heating, refrigeration, or safe handling.
Most Common Ingredients in Ham Products
We analyzed 859 ham products. Here are the most common ingredients, ranked by how often they appear:
Ingredients to Watch Out For in Ham
These are the most common flagged ingredients across 859 ham products we analyzed.
sodium nitrite
Caution
Sodium nitrite is a chemical compound commonly used as a preservative and color fixative in processed meats.
Is regulated at low food additive levels, but frequent cured or processed meat intake has limited observational pregnancy concerns; cyanide antidote and contaminated water exposures are separate issues.
Flagged in 579 of 859 products (67%)
sodium nitrate
Caution
Sodium nitrate is a chemical compound commonly used as a preservative and curing agent in processed meats and as a fertilizer in agriculture.
Is context dependent because vegetable sources are generally compatible with pregnancy while contaminated well water above nitrate/nitrite limits can cause methemoglobinemia and has observational links to adverse birth outcomes.
Flagged in 38 of 859 products (4%)
sodium erythorbate and sodium nitrite
Caution
Sodium erythorbate and sodium nitrite are preservatives commonly used in processed meats to enhance color, flavor, and shelf life while preventing bacterial growth.
Is regulated at low food additive levels, but frequent cured or processed meat intake has limited observational pregnancy concerns; cyanide antidote and contaminated water exposures are separate issues.
Flagged in 6 of 859 products (1%)
and sodium nitrite
Caution
Sodium nitrite is a chemical preservative commonly used to prevent bacterial growth and preserve the color in cured meats.
Is regulated at low food additive levels, but frequent cured or processed meat intake has limited observational pregnancy concerns; cyanide antidote and contaminated water exposures are separate issues.
Flagged in 4 of 859 products (0%)
ethyl alcohol
Avoid
Ethyl alcohol is a colorless, volatile, and flammable organic compound commonly used as a solvent, disinfectant, and in alcoholic beverages.
Has no established safe amount in pregnancy and is linked to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and other adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Flagged in 4 of 859 products (0%)
bourbon
Avoid
Bourbon is a rich, amber colored American whiskey known for its sweet, smoky flavor with notes of caramel, vanilla, and oak.
Has no established safe amount in pregnancy and is linked to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and other adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Flagged in 3 of 859 products (0%)
high fructose corn syrup
Caution
High fructose corn syrup is a sweet, liquid sweetener made from corn starch, commonly used in processed foods and beverages.
Is not a known teratogen at occasional food amounts, but high added sugar intake can displace nutrients and raise gestational diabetes and metabolic concerns.
Flagged in 3 of 859 products (0%)
potassium nitrate
Caution
Potassium nitrate is a crystalline salt commonly used as a fertilizer, food preservative, and oxidizing agent in explosives.
Is context dependent because vegetable sources are generally compatible with pregnancy while contaminated well water above nitrate/nitrite limits can cause methemoglobinemia and has observational links to adverse birth outcomes.
Flagged in 3 of 859 products (0%)
Types of Ham
Ham Products We've Analyzed
Our catalog contains ratings for 859 ham products. These are database grades, not independent safety certifications.
Grades are ingredient scores, not clinical verdicts or measurements of pathogens, dose, preparation or current package contents. Cohorts include unreviewed catalog records and counts are not independently verified safe-product totals.
Pregnancy Safe Ham Products
Popular options from our catalog, prioritizing A and B ingredient grades, with C grade options used to fill remaining places. Within each group, products are ordered by searches in Pregnancy Safe, not retail sales. Read the cautions and guidance above; grades do not verify a complete current label or guarantee pregnancy safety.
| Grade | Product | Brand |
|---|---|---|
| A | Champagne Ham | Farmland |
| A | Natural Selections Baked Ham | Maple Leaf |
| B+ | Kirkland Signature Extra Lean Uncured Ham | Kirkland Signature |
| B+ | Cooked Ham Trimmings | Bm Foods Ltd |
| A | Primo Champagne Leg Ham | Primo |
Your Questions Answered
Can I eat a ham sandwich while pregnant?
Choose a sandwich made with deli ham heated to 165°F or until steaming hot just before eating. Cold refrigerated deli ham can carry Listeria, even when it is labeled fully cooked. Toasting the bread alone is not enough if the ham remains cold or lukewarm.
Is cooked ham safe during pregnancy?
Preparation and storage matter, not just the word cooked. Refrigerated cooked ham sold as deli meat should be reheated to 165°F or until steaming hot just before eating. A ham sold raw or requiring cooking needs its own package specific cooking instructions. Freshly cooked hot ham and cold deli slices are different food safety situations.
Is uncured or natural ham safer during pregnancy?
Those labels do not remove the need for safe preparation. Uncured or natural ham may still involve nitrate or nitrite sources, including celery derived ingredients. Refrigerated deli versions still need heating to 165°F or until steaming hot before you eat them.
Should I avoid ham containing sodium nitrite?
Sodium nitrite is a regulated curing ingredient, not evidence that an occasional serving will harm your pregnancy. Pregnancy specific findings concerning frequent processed meat exposure are limited and mostly observational, so they do not establish cause and effect. Keep cured ham occasional rather than a daily staple. Reheating remains important because the Listeria concern is separate from curing ingredients.
Does an A grade mean ham is safe to eat cold?
No. Grades describe ingredient scores, not testing for Listeria or verification of storage and preparation. Our catalog contains 859 ham products, including 143 with an A grade, but these are not independently verified safe product totals. Apply the same reheating and handling precautions regardless of grade.
Is ham with bourbon or alcohol flavoring unsafe?
A flavor name or ingredient listing alone does not tell you how much alcohol is present in the serving you eat. Guidance to avoid drinking alcohol during pregnancy should not be treated as proof that trace food exposure causes the same harm. If the amount in a glaze is unclear, choose a version made without added alcohol to avoid that uncertainty. This does not replace the cooking or reheating precautions for the ham itself.
How to Interpret These Ratings
Our ingredient and category rules generate letter grades from the information recorded in the catalog. Missing ingredients and broad category assignments can affect the result. These grades do not measure your dose, confirm a complete current label, or test a product for contamination.
A high grade is not a guarantee of pregnancy safety. A low grade is not, by itself, proof of harm from every use. Follow the product-specific guidance above, check the actual package, and ask your prenatal clinician about supplements, treatment decisions or uncertain exposures.
References
- https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/delimeats-7-24/index.html
- https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/foods/pregnant-women.html
- https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/prevention/index.html
- https://www.fda.gov/food/people-risk-foodborne-illness/cooking-food-safety-moms-be
- https://hfpappexternal.fda.gov/scripts/fdcc/index.cfm?id=SODIUMNITRITE&set=FoodSubstances
- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-9/section-424.21
- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-172.175
- https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/170615
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- https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/national-primary-drinking-water-regulations
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- https://archive.cdc.gov/www_atsdr_cdc_gov/csem/nitrate-nitrite/who_risk.html
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- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9834225/
- https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/689
- https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/nitrates-and-nitrites-the-science-explained
- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-172/subpart-B/section-172.175
- https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol-pregnancy/about/index.html
- https://www.cdc.gov/fasd/about/index.html
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- https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/alcohol-pregnancy/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26482673/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9543418/
- https://cdn.realfood.gov/DGA.pdf
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- https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/healthy-eating-during-pregnancy
- https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/php/data-research/added-sugars.html
- https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/gestational-diabetes.html
- https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241549028
- https://nesr.usda.gov/2025-dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-systematic-reviews/dietary-patterns_gestational-diabetes
- https://www.fda.gov/food/color-additives-information-consumers/color-additives-questions-and-answers-consumers
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