Can You Eat Biltong While Pregnant? A Careful, Sourced Answer

The short, careful answer: most medical guidance says pregnant women should avoid biltong and other dried, uncooked meats. Because biltong is air-dried rather than cooked, it carries a small but real risk of listeria and toxoplasmosis — infections that are rare, but more dangerous during pregnancy. If you're pregnant and craving it, the safer path is to heat it thoroughly first, or wait.

You'll notice that's not a sales pitch. We sell biltong. We would love everyone to eat biltong. This page exists because pregnant readers deserve the same answer a cautious doctor would give, not the one that moves product.

Why dried meats are flagged during pregnancy

Biltong is cured with vinegar and salt and air-dried for days, never heat-treated. That process makes it safe and shelf-stable for the general population — it's kept South Africans fed for 400 years. But two organisms concern clinicians during pregnancy:

Listeria monocytogenes — the reason guidance from bodies like the USDA's food-safety arm (FSIS) and the CDC tells pregnant women to avoid deli meats unless heated until steaming. Listeriosis is rare but can be serious for a developing baby, and dried/fermented meats fall in the caution category.

Toxoplasma gondii — the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and NHS-style guidance flag cured and undercooked meats as a possible source. In healthy adults it often passes unnoticed; during pregnancy it's treated much more seriously.

Is the absolute risk from a piece of biltong high? No — these infections are uncommon. But the consequence-if-unlucky is severe enough that mainstream guidance says skip it. We're not going to argue with obstetricians to sell you a snack.

Can you eat biltong if you heat it?

Heating meat until steaming hot (the deli-meat rule: about 165°F / 74°C) kills listeria. Some pregnant biltong lovers oven-crisp it — a few minutes at heat until it's hot through — which changes the texture but keeps the flavor. If you go this route, discuss it with your own doctor or midwife first; they know your situation, we don't.

Can you eat beef sticks or jerky while pregnant?

Same logic, mixed verdicts. Traditional jerky is cooked during processing, which many clinicians consider lower risk than raw-dried meats — but shelf-stable meat snacks in general still carry listeria cautions, and most official guidance groups them with "heat before eating" foods. Droewors and other air-dried sausages sit in the same category as biltong: cautioned. Again: your OB's answer beats any brand's blog, including this one.

What about while breastfeeding?

Different situation — listeria and toxoplasma concerns are specific to pregnancy. Most guidance treats biltong like any other food while breastfeeding. If you've spent nine months missing it, that first piece afterwards is a small and genuine pleasure — check with your own clinician if you're unsure.

High-protein alternatives during pregnancy

If the craving is protein and chew rather than biltong specifically: hard cheeses (pasteurized), roasted chickpeas, nuts and biltong-spiced nut mixes, or thoroughly cooked beef dishes get you there without the caution flags. And we'll happily hold your spot: biltong doesn't expire as a life plan, only as a pregnancy snack.

FAQ

Is biltong safe during pregnancy?

Most medical guidance advises avoiding it. Biltong is air-dried, not cooked, so it carries a small risk of listeria and toxoplasmosis — rare infections that are more serious during pregnancy. Heating until steaming hot reduces the risk; ask your doctor.

What happens if I ate biltong before I knew I was pregnant?

Don't panic — the absolute risk from any single serving is low. Mention it at your next appointment; if you develop fever or flu-like symptoms, contact your provider promptly.

Can I eat biltong in the third trimester?

The guidance doesn't change by trimester — listeria risk applies throughout pregnancy. The heat-it-through rule applies at any stage.

Is droewors safe during pregnancy?

Droewors is air-dried like biltong, so the same caution applies: most guidance says avoid it or heat it thoroughly first.

Written by Calvern Tong, founder of Billi Tong's Biltong, Austin TX. We sell biltong, so treat us as an interested party and weigh this against your own clinician's advice.

Sources worth reading: USDA FSIS on listeria and ready-to-eat meats (fsis.usda.gov), CDC listeria guidance for pregnant women (cdc.gov/listeria), and ACOG's nutrition-during-pregnancy resources (acog.org). This article is general information, not medical advice — your own clinician has the final word.