Which Meat Products Should Pregnant Women Avoid?

Some foodborne infections can be particularly problematic for pregnant women. To protect against diseases such as toxoplasmosis and listeriosis, certain precautions should therefore be taken when consuming meat products during pregnancy. Meat and poultry should always be well cooked, and raw meat and raw sausages should be avoided entirely to be on the safe side. Sausage and meat products should also always be well packaged and properly stored in the refrigerator and consumed within two to three days.

Toxoplasmosis is a disease that can be dangerous during pregnancy. The pathogens can be transmitted to plant foods via cat feces and then to the feed of fattening animals and meat products. Listeria, the causative agent of listeriosis, is found primarily in raw milk, raw meat, and perishable products such as smoked fish. Contact with both pathogens can be minimized through proper nutrition and the correct handling of food during pregnancy, thus reducing the risk of infection. For example, toxoplasmosis pathogens and listeria are killed by exposing food to a core temperature of 70 degrees Celsius for at least two minutes. Industrial pasteurization and sterilization also ensure that potential pathogens are rendered harmless.

Nevertheless, pregnant women should avoid these meat-based foods:

• Raw or undercooked meat dishes such as tartare, rare steaks, ground pork, carpaccio, and minced meat
• Raw sausages such as Teewurst, salami, Cabanossi, Cervelatwurst, Plockwurst and Mettwurst
• Raw cured meat products such as Bündnerfleisch and raw ham

In addition, women during pregnancy should only eat meat and sausage products that have been bought in one piece and only cut open shortly before consumption or serving. To protect against food infections, packaged cold cuts should only be bought in small quantities that can be consumed quickly, and the best-before date should be carefully observed.