The FDA’s own guidance on can pregnant women eat beef jerky is more cautious than most people expect: jerky is grouped with deli meats and smoked seafood on the list of foods to avoid during pregnancy unless it’s heated until steaming first. That’s a notable shift from the assumption that a shelf-stable, room-temperature snack must be automatically safe.
The concern isn’t about the meat being raw, jerky is dried, not raw. It’s about a specific bacteria that can survive the drying process and, unlike most foodborne bacteria, keeps growing even in the refrigerator. Here’s what that actually means for your next snack craving.
Why Drying Doesn’t Solve the Actual Risk
Jerky is made by removing moisture, not by reaching the high, sustained heat that reliably kills bacteria. Listeria monocytogenes, the specific concern here, can survive the drying process and, unusually among foodborne pathogens, continues to multiply even at refrigerator temperatures. That combination, a low-moisture product that was never necessarily heated to a bacteria-killing temperature, is exactly why jerky lands in the same caution category as deli meats and cold smoked salmon, despite feeling like a completely different kind of food.
Not All Jerky Carries the Same Risk
| Type | Risk Level | Why |
| Commercial shelf-stable jerky | Lower, but not zero | Manufactured under controlled conditions, but still not heat-treated the way canned or pasteurized products are |
| Refrigerated or deli-counter jerky | Higher | Stored in the same cold, damp conditions where listeria thrives and spreads easily on equipment |
| Homemade jerky | Higher, more variable | Home dehydrators often don’t reach or sustain the temperatures needed to reliably eliminate bacteria |
| Jerky heated until steaming | Substantially reduced | Heat above 165°F (74°C) is what actually kills listeria, regardless of the product’s original form |
Why This Matters More During Pregnancy Specifically
Pregnancy suppresses part of the immune system’s normal function, which is a big part of why pregnant women are roughly 10 times more likely than the general population to develop a listeria infection, called listeriosis, if exposed. For the pregnant person, symptoms are often mild, sometimes just fever and body aches. For the baby, the same infection can be far more serious, carrying a real risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, or a severe newborn infection. That gap, mild for mom, potentially serious for baby, is the entire reason this gets flagged so consistently in pregnancy nutrition guidance.
If a Jerky Craving Won’t Quit
- Heat it until steaming hot before eating, a quick pass in the microwave or a pan is enough to reach a bacteria-killing temperature.
- Choose commercial, reputable brands over homemade or deli-counter versions, which carry higher variability in processing conditions.
- Check labels for high-pressure processing or other listed bacterial safety steps, some producers do use these.
- Watch sodium content, jerky is often very high in salt, which is a separate concern worth moderating during pregnancy regardless of listeria risk.
- When in doubt, ask your OB or midwife directly, individual risk tolerance and pregnancy circumstances can reasonably factor into this decision.
How Jerky Compares to Other Foods on the Same List
| Food | Same Listeria Concern? |
| Deli meats and cold cuts | Yes, same reasoning, same fix (heat until steaming) |
| Cold smoked salmon (lox, nova-style) | Yes, listed alongside jerky in FDA guidance |
| Unpasteurized soft cheeses | Yes, different mechanism, same bacteria |
| Canned or shelf-stable meat spreads | No, heat-treated during canning, generally considered safe |
| Well-done steak or burgers | No, standard cooking temperatures already exceed the safety threshold |
Snack Alternatives That Skip the Guesswork
If jerky’s risk profile isn’t worth it for you right now, there are plenty of protein-rich, portable options that don’t come with the same asterisk, hard-boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, roasted chickpeas, and well-cooked chicken strips all fit the bill without requiring a microwave detour first.
For more balanced ideas beyond just snacking, our healthy lunch ideas for every kind of day roundup includes several protein-forward options that work well during pregnancy without the food safety considerations that come with dried or cured meats.
Already Ate Some Before Reading This?
Try not to panic, actual listeria infection remains rare even among people who eat these foods regularly. There’s no need to call your doctor over a single serving with no symptoms. Do reach out to your OB or midwife if you develop fever, chills, muscle aches, or gastrointestinal symptoms in the days following, or if you know the specific product you ate was part of an active recall.
A Couple of Assumptions Worth Correcting
‘Shelf-stable’ doesn’t automatically mean ‘heat-treated enough to kill listeria.’ Those are two different processes, and a product can be stable at room temperature without ever reaching the internal temperature needed to eliminate this specific bacteria.
This isn’t only a homemade-jerky problem. Commercial products have also been involved in listeria recalls, which is why the guidance applies to the category broadly rather than just to home dehydrating.
Bottom Line
Beef jerky sits in the same cautious category as deli meats and cold smoked salmon during pregnancy, not because it’s raw, but because the drying process alone doesn’t reliably kill listeria, a bacteria that poses a disproportionate risk to a developing baby even when it causes only mild symptoms in the mother. Heating jerky until steaming largely resolves the concern, and reaching for a different protein-rich snack sidesteps it entirely. Either way, this is a genuinely low-probability risk made worth taking seriously because of how severe the rare outcome can be.
Common Questions About Beef Jerky During Pregnancy
Is all beef jerky unsafe during pregnancy?
Not entirely unsafe, but it carries a listeria risk that most pregnancy nutrition guidance recommends managing by heating it until steaming or choosing an alternative snack.
Does turkey or plant-based jerky carry the same risk?
Plant-based jerky avoids the listeria concern tied to meat products, though it’s still often high in sodium. Turkey jerky follows the same drying process as beef, so the same caution applies.
How hot does jerky need to be heated to make it safer?
Heating until steaming, generally around 165°F (74°C), is the temperature guidance points to for killing listeria in ready-to-eat meat products.
Is homemade jerky riskier than store-bought?
Generally yes, home dehydrators often don’t reliably reach or sustain the temperatures needed to eliminate bacteria the way commercial processing aims to.
What symptoms would suggest a listeria infection after eating jerky?
Fever, muscle aches, chills, or gastrointestinal symptoms in the days following are worth mentioning to your OB, though actual infection remains rare.
Can I eat jerky in the third trimester if I couldn’t in the first?
The listeria risk applies throughout pregnancy, not just early on, so the same caution and heating recommendation holds regardless of trimester.
Are jerky-style meat sticks marketed for kids the same concern for pregnant snackers?
Yes, the concern is about the processing method, not the branding or intended audience, so the same guidance applies regardless of who the product is marketed to.
Should I just ask my doctor instead of guessing?
That’s a reasonable approach, especially if you have a high-risk pregnancy or specific concerns, since your OB can factor in your individual health history rather than general guidance alone.