Is Hot dogs safe during pregnancy?
Meat & poultry
Avoid unless heated until steaming hot
The US CDC and FDA say not to eat hot dogs unless they are reheated until steaming hot (165°F).[1,2,3]
What official sources say
US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women
US CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection
- Avoid:
Unheated deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages
(advice for vulnerable people, including pregnant women)[2]
US FDA: Ready-to-Eat Foods (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
- Don't eat:
Hot dogs, deli meats, and luncheon meats - unless they're reheated until steaming hot.
[3]
Nutrition per 100 g (USDA)
| Energy | 314 kcal |
| Protein | 11.7 g |
| Sugars | 1.26 g |
| Iron | 1.14 mg |
| Calcium | 15 mg |
| Folate, total | 0 µg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 3 µg |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.97 µg |
| DHA (omega-3) | 0 g |
| EPA (omega-3) | 0.003 g |
| Sodium | 872 mg |
USDA FoodData Central: Frankfurter, beef, unheated (FDC ID 323121), per 100 g. Public domain. Values describe that USDA record; composition varies with variety and preparation.
Sources
- US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women · cdc.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- US CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection · cdc.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- US FDA: Ready-to-Eat Foods (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be) · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
Sources checked 26 September 2026.
Quotes are checked word for word against each source page, and paraphrases against the original text. Official bodies are named as sources only: none of them reviewed or endorses this page.
Educational information, not medical advice. Your own doctor or midwife may advise differently for you — follow their advice.