Prior to Clairify, I usually bought deli-sliced ham or turkey, or the presliced versions in the plastic containers next to the deli department. When I started doing my research on deli meats I found out some interesting things.
Lunch meats come in several different types. Deli-sliced meats often come from an actual animal sliced directly off a larger piece of meat. Turkey, chicken and roast beef fit into this category. This type of lunch meat has the most identifiable ingredients and the fewest additives. Pressed forms of meat, where pieces of different meats are bonded together, such as pressed turkey or ham, comprise the second group. The third group contains often unidentifiable bits of meats pressed together, often in paste form. Hot dogs, bologna, salami and other sausage-type meats fall into this category.
Many sausage products such as hot dogs and bologna contain mechanically separated meat (MSM), a paste-like meat product (see photo) made by forcing bones with bits of meat attached through a sieve to separate the meat. Mechanically separated beef cannot be used due to the risk of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or Mad Cow disease, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Meat byproducts such as stomach, lips and heart may also be used in processed lunch meats.
If you have are not nauseated to the point of running to the nearest toilet, continue reading:
Processed lunch meat comes with several risks. Many lunch meats contain sodium nitrate as a preservative, and sodium nitrate when eaten, in turn, can form nitrosaomines, which may increase the risk of developing cancer in the intestinal tract, although studies have not conclusively proved this. Listeria monocytogenes, the bacteria that cause listeriosis, a food-borne intestinal illness that can cause fever, abdominal pain and diarrhea up to three weeks after consumption, can also contaminate lunch meats.
Yum!
Turkey sandwich is looking better and better right!
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