Is Salami Raw? What "Uncooked" Really Means, and Who Should Heat It

By the site editors. Fact-checked against USDA FSIS, FDA and university extension sources. Last updated October 27, 2026.

Short answer: Not really, but it usually isn't "cooked" the way a hot dog is, either. Traditional dry salami is cured, fermented, and dried rather than cooked. In the US, though, FSIS says dry and semi-dry sausages "are, with a few exceptions, cooked" (FSIS: Sausages and Food Safety). Many commercial ones get a low-temperature heat step for safety; FSIS describes fermented products as "sometimes heated with a low temperature heat step for food safety" (FSIS-GD-2023-0002). They're still not "cooked salami," which is a different product (more below). For most healthy adults, store-bought dry salami is a ready-to-eat food. But the CDC tells pregnant women, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems to eat it only after reheating it until steaming hot (CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection).

Raw, cured, or cooked? Three kinds of "salami"

1. Dry (and semi-dry) fermented salami: ready to eat. Clemson Extension explains that dry sausages are mixed with spices and curing ingredients, stuffed into casings, and put through "a carefully controlled, long, continuous air-drying process." Many are also fermented with lactic-acid bacteria (Clemson HGIC 3513). Clemson lists Genoa salami and pepperoni ("not cooked, air-dried") as dry sausages (Clemson HGIC 3513), and FSIS lists Genoa salami and "Sopressata (a name of a salami)" as dry sausages too (FSIS: Sausages and Food Safety). The CDC also names salami, pepperoni, chorizo, and summer sausage as examples of fermented or dry sausages (CDC: Deli Foods and Prepared Meats).

2. Cooked salami: actually cooked. "Cooked salami (not dry) is made from fresh meats that are cured, stuffed into casings, and cooked in a smokehouse at high temperatures." It's softer than dry salami and must be refrigerated (Clemson HGIC 3513). Federal rules list cotto salami among "cooked sausages" (9 CFR 319.140).

3. Fresh, uncooked sausage: truly raw. Fresh sausages "must be kept refrigerated and be thoroughly cooked before eating" (Clemson HGIC 3513). A raw salami mix that hasn't been cured, fermented, and dried yet falls in this group too. Don't taste it.

How salami is made ready to eat

Dry salami relies on several "hurdles" stacked together, and in many US plants a heat step as well:

• Curing salt (nitrite/nitrate). It controls Clostridium botulinum and helps hold back other bacteria. Canadian public-health guidance for fermented sausage calls for 100–200 ppm nitrite/nitrate (BC Centre for Disease Control, Fermented Foods Guidance 3.13). US rules set a maximum only: the finished product can't have more than 200 ppm nitrite, calculated as sodium nitrite (9 CFR 424.21(c)).
• Fermentation acid. Good bacteria turn sugar into lactic acid. Industry practice requires fermented dry and semi-dry sausages to reach pH 5.3 or lower (AMI Foundation GMP, via UW–Madison). Reaching pH 5.3 fast enough (degree-hours) controls S. aureus, but it isn't a kill step. FSIS says degree-hours "are intended to control the outgrowth of S. aureus," and that to control Salmonella, STEC and Listeria, "establishments often need to ferment these products to a lower pH" (FSIS-GD-2023-0002, Q&A).
• Drying (low water activity). University of Georgia Extension says sausage needs a water activity below 0.85 and a pH under 5.3 to be shelf stable (UGA Extension B1437). Shelf stable means pathogens can't grow. It doesn't mean they're gone. FSIS asks whether meeting degree-hours and drying "to a water activity below 0.85" is "enough to show biological hazards are addressed," and answers: "No. Fermentation and drying alone are not particularly effective as lethality treatments" (FSIS-GD-2023-0002, Q&A). Clemson notes dry sausages finish at roughly 60–80% of their original "green" weight (Clemson HGIC 3513).

"Ready to eat" doesn't mean "sterile." The CDC says that "although cooking, fermenting, or drying kills germs," these meats "can become contaminated later" by touching surfaces in the production facility that carry Listeria (CDC: Deli Foods and Prepared Meats). And FSIS says "fermentation and drying alone do not generally achieve" its target reductions for Salmonella, STEC, and Listeria (FSIS-GD-2023-0002). Clemson notes E. coli O157:H7 "has been found to survive the process of dry fermenting" (Clemson HGIC 3513). In 1994, some children got sick after eating dry-cured salami that carried it. After that outbreak, FSIS "developed specific processing rules for making dry sausages that must be followed or the product must be heat treated," and in 1997 it began testing fermented sausages for Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes (FSIS: Sausages and Food Safety).

Store-bought vs. homemade: not the same risk

For fermented products, FSIS sets targets of a 5-log reduction of Salmonella (and STEC in products with beef) and a 3-log reduction of Listeria. It also says fermentation and drying alone generally don't reach those targets (FSIS-GD-2023-0002, Table 3). One wrinkle: sausage made and sold within one state, such as at a retail shop, "may be under the jurisdiction of that State's health or agriculture department" rather than the USDA (FSIS: Sausages and Food Safety).

At home, you can't validate your process. Washington State University Extension says "home production of dry sausages is not recommended," because Staphylococcus aureus toxin can form if fermentation isn't tightly controlled (WSU Extension EB1661). Using all pork doesn't get you off the hook: the Salmonella and Listeria targets apply to pork too (FSIS-GD-2023-0002, Table 3). Homemade pork salami also needs a Trichinella control, such as properly freezing the pork before grinding (WSU Extension EB1661).

If you make it anyway, follow our step-by-step guide to making salami at home, dose your cure with the cure calculator, and log weight loss with the drying tracker.

Who should avoid uncooked salami, or heat it first

Pregnancy (CDC first). The CDC tells people who are pregnant to avoid "unheated deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages." Instead, it says to choose them "reheated to 165°F or until steaming hot" (CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection). The UK's NHS lists cold cured meats like salami under "foods to be careful with." It says to cook them until steaming hot, citing both Listeria and a small toxoplasmosis risk (NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy). The FDA warns that listeriosis in pregnancy can lead to "miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, and death" (FDA: Listeria, Food Safety for Moms-to-Be).

Older adults and people with weakened immune systems. The CDC's higher-risk groups for Listeria are pregnant women, newborns, people 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems. It gives all of them the same "reheat until steaming hot" advice for dry sausages (CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection). Clemson adds very young children to the list of people who "might want to avoid" dry sausages (Clemson HGIC 3513).

Why reheating helps. "Refrigeration does not kill Listeria, but reheating before eating will kill any germs that may be on these meats" (CDC: Deli Foods and Prepared Meats). Listeria "can grow in cold temperatures, including inside refrigerators" (FDA). Good ways to heat salami until steaming: on pizza, crisped into salami chips, or stirred into a hot pasta, as long as the salami itself ends up steaming hot (165°F) (CDC).

For perspective: the CDC calls Listeria infection rare, at about 1,600 US cases a year (CDC).

How to tell if a store-bought salami is cooked or ready to eat

• Read the name. Under FSIS labeling policy, a salami that isn't a dry salami must have "Cooked" in its name ("Cooked Salami"), and "cotto salami" is "a mildly flavored cooked, cured sausage" (FSIS Labeling Policy Book; 9 CFR 319.140). Exceptions: beef, kosher, kosher beef and beer salami are cooked but don't have to say so (FSIS Labeling Policy Book). Plain "Salami" and "Genoa Salami" are dry sausages, though FSIS notes salami "may be cooked to shorten drying period" (FSIS Labeling Policy Book). FSIS also lists soppressata as a dry sausage (FSIS: Sausages and Food Safety).
• Look for "Keep Refrigerated." Packaged products "which require special handling to maintain their wholesome condition" must say "Keep Refrigerated" (9 CFR 317.2(k); Clemson HGIC 3513). Cooked salami must be refrigerated (Clemson HGIC 3513). Some whole dry salamis are sold unrefrigerated because they're shelf stable.
• Check for safe-handling instructions. These are required on meat that hasn't been processed to make it ready to eat (9 CFR 317.2(l); Clemson HGIC 3513). If a package has them, or has cooking directions, treat it as raw and cook it. FSIS says a shelf-stable, ready-to-eat sausage "is not required to have a safe handling statement, cooking directions or a 'Keep Refrigerated' statement" (FSIS: Sausages and Food Safety).
• Look at the ingredients. Every ingredient is listed in order of weight (Clemson HGIC 3513). That includes curing agents like sodium nitrite and any starter culture.
• When in doubt, ask the deli counter or call the maker. Or just heat it.

FAQ

Is salami raw meat? Not in the everyday sense. Traditional dry salami is cured, fermented, and dried until it's ready to eat, without being cooked like a hot dog (Clemson HGIC 3513). Many US commercial dry and semi-dry sausages also get a heat step; FSIS says they "are, with a few exceptions, cooked" (FSIS: Sausages and Food Safety). Cooked salami (cotto) is fully cooked in a smokehouse (Clemson HGIC 3513; 9 CFR 319.140).

Can I eat salami straight from the package? Ready-to-eat salami, yes, for most healthy adults. Higher-risk groups should reheat it until steaming hot (CDC).

Is salami safe during pregnancy? Only heated to 165°F (74°C) or until steaming hot, per the CDC (CDC).

Is pepperoni raw too? Clemson classes it as a dry sausage that's "not cooked, air-dried" (Clemson HGIC 3513). See salami vs. pepperoni (placeholder URL).

Does freezing make salami safer? Not against Listeria. The FDA says L. monocytogenes "can grow at refrigeration temperatures and freezing will not eliminate or reduce the pathogen" (FDA: Listeria (Listeriosis)). Heat is what works (CDC).

How long does salami last once opened? See does salami go bad? (placeholder URL).

Is homemade salami safe to eat uncooked? WSU Extension doesn't recommend making dry sausage at home (WSU EB1661). Hitting pH 5.3 and low water activity isn't a kill step (FSIS-GD-2023-0002, Q&A). If you do make it, measure cure, pH, and weight loss carefully (how-to guide) and keep at-risk people away from it uncooked.

Safety note

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you're pregnant, older, or immunocompromised, talk to your healthcare provider and follow the CDC's guidance (CDC).

Sources

1. CDC. Preventing Listeria Infection. https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/prevention/index.html
2. CDC. How Listeria Spread: Deli Foods and Prepared Meats. https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/causes/deli-ready-to-eat-foods.html
3. FDA. Listeria: Food Safety for Moms-to-Be. https://www.fda.gov/food/health-educators/listeria-food-safety-moms-be
4. FDA. Listeria (Listeriosis). https://www.fda.gov/food/foodborne-pathogens/listeria-listeriosis
5. NHS. Foods to avoid in pregnancy. https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/
6. USDA FSIS. Sausages and Food Safety. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/meat/sausages-and-food-safety (archived Feb 16, 2024: http://web.archive.org/web/20240216213407/https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/meat/sausages-and-food-safety)
7. USDA FSIS. FSIS-GD-2023-0002: Ready-to-Eat Fermented, Salt-Cured, and Dried Products Guideline (May 5, 2023). https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/documents/FSIS-GD-2023-0002.pdf (archived: https://web.archive.org/web/2025id_/https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/documents/FSIS-GD-2023-0002.pdf)
8. US eCFR. 9 CFR 424.21. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-9/chapter-III/subchapter-E/part-424/subpart-C/section-424.21
9. US eCFR. 9 CFR 317.2. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-9/chapter-III/subchapter-A/part-317/subpart-A/section-317.2
10. USDA FSIS. Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book (Sept 8, 2025 ed.; archived Mar 11, 2026). http://web.archive.org/web/20260311192724/https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/import/Labeling-Policy-Book.pdf
11. US eCFR. 9 CFR 319.140. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-9/chapter-III/subchapter-A/part-319/subpart-E/section-319.140
12. Clemson Cooperative Extension. Safe Handling of Sausages & Hot Dogs (HGIC 3513). https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/safe-handling-of-sausages-hot-dogs/
13. AMI Foundation. GMP for Fermented Dry & Semi-Dry Sausage (UW–Madison). https://foodsafety.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1026/2024/01/GMP-Dry-Sausage.pdf
14. UGA Extension. Basics of Sausage Making (B1437). https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/B1437-1.pdf
15. BC Centre for Disease Control. Fermented Foods Guidance 3.13: Sausage. https://www.bccdc.ca/resource-gallery/Documents/Educational%20Materials/EH/FPS/Food/Fermented/Fermented_Foods_Guidance-3.13_Sausage.pdf
16. WSU Extension. Homemade Meat, Poultry, and Game Sausages (EB1661). https://wpcdn.web.wsu.edu/extension/uploads/sites/68/2021/06/Homemade-Meat-Poultry-and-Game-Sausages-EB1661.pdf