Is Prosciutto / Parma ham safe during pregnancy?

Meat & poultry

Cook until steaming hot

The NHS says cold cured meats such as prosciutto should be cooked until steaming hot before eating.[1]

What official sources say

NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy

  • Meat and poultry › Foods to be careful with: Cold cured meats, such as salami, pepperoni, chorizo and prosciutto, need care in pregnancy: cook them until steaming hot before eating.[1]
  • Eating raw, undercooked or cured meat carries a small risk of toxoplasmosis, an infection that can cause miscarriage.[1]

Related general rules

US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women

  • Riskier Choice: Unheated deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages[2]

Sources

  1. NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
  2. US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women · cdc.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.