So you are preggo and not sure what you may eat?
We at Salumeria have written this guide to make sure you stay safe. At the end of the day, most commercial products are safely able to be consumed. Bottom line these huge companies test their products multiple times to ensure their product is safe to be consumed by the general public.
So as a primary rule, steer clear from any home made product.
This is not just when talking about Salumi & Cheese. Anything that has been pickled or preserved and placed in a can or jar. As a general rule of thumb, most food stuffs that have been heated for a reasonable time to 75C or preferably 100C and immediately served for consumption may be deemed safe as heat is one of the best methods to kill off most harmful bacteria.
With regards to cheese and other raw Salumi, the method of preservation is what kills off these harmful products to make them edible. However this is where if something goes wrong, it may go very wrong. Especially if eating it in its original state. Therefore not cooked up until a safe temperature.
Without going too deep into all the merits of preservation, the main bacteria that these methods seek to get rid of are:
Listeria ,C.botulinum & Toxoplasmosis
Listeria may be brought on from soft cheeses because they’re less acidic than hard cheeses. Although this is quite rare, one should steer clear from this sort of cheese for this exact reason. All soft, ripe or blue veined cheeses such as Feta, Brie, Camambert, Gorgonzola & Blue cheese may be potential carriers.
Click here for further wikipedia reading on Listeria.
C.botulinum This is an anaerobic bacteria that is able to grow in low oxygen conditions. It may be found in a few different sources but for this article we are concerned with the ones that may live and thrive in Salumi. Nitrites are used in certain cured meat and poultry products to inhibit the growth of the bacterial spores should they be present. However there is always the risk that the producer may have created a batch of salumi with the incorrect amount of Nitates & Nitrites making the inside of a salami the best place for the bacteria to thrive.
For this reason Salamis and other “sausages” should not be eaten during pregnancy, unless properly heated up to safe levels before consumption.
Click here for further reading about botulism.
Toxoplasmosis may be cause by consuming poorly cooked meat that may have cysts. These may not always be easily visible to the eye. This may also be passed on from exposure to infected cat feces.
Cook all meat and poultry thoroughly so it’s steaming hot and there’s no trace of pink or blood – especially with poultry, pork, sausages and minced meat, including burgers.
Click here to read more about Toxoplasmosis.
- Stay clear from all home made preserves.
- No Soft cheeses, when in doubt, just abstain (Mozzarella is safe).
- Stay clear of Salami unless you are going to have it cooked or heated up to safe levels of consumption
- Cook Poultry and other meats to high temperatures to ensure properly cooked to ward off Toxoplasmosis.
Click here to read the NHS guide for a more comprehensive guide regards to safe food for pregnant ladies as we only tackle our sector of Salumi and cheese 😉
Stay safe and if you are reading this congratulations if you are pregnant! 😉