Deli Meat

Name: Deli meat, also called cold cuts, lunch meat or sandwich meat — pre-cooked or cured meats, sliced thin for sandwiches and platters. Examples include sliced ham, turkey, roast beef, chicken, pastrami, salami and bologna, either sliced fresh at a deli counter or packaged.

Description

Cold cuts are a staple of the sandwich, and of lunchboxes, in Europe and North America. They range from whole roasted meats sliced thinly, such as roast beef and turkey breast, to reformed and cured products, made of chopped and mixed meat, such as bologna, which contain additives and binders.

All deli meats are susceptible to Listeria, which can grow in the cold, so health authorities warn pregnant women, older adults and the immunocompromised to avoid them unless heated until steaming. Most are also cured, with salt and nitrite, and so are classed as processed meat.

Main nutrition value

Processed meats provide protein, but they are typically high in salt and saturated fat, and cured products contain added nitrites. Whole roast meats, like roast beef or turkey, are generally lower in salt and additives than reformed or cured meats.

How best to be consumed

Deli meat is eaten in moderation, and kept cold.

1. Choose whole-muscle roast meats such as turkey, chicken or beef, with no added nitrites, and lower salt.
2. Compare labels for sodium content, since it varies widely.
3. Pile sandwiches with salad vegetables, to balance the saltiness.
4. Keep refrigerated at 4°C or below, and eat within 3 to 5 days of opening packs or buying sliced meat.
5. Heat until steaming hot (74°C) if pregnant or in a high-risk group.

Overconsumption could cause…

Deli meat is a processed meat, best occasional.

1. Listeria infection from cold cured or sliced meats and pâté, a particular risk in pregnancy, older age and weak immunity, so these groups should avoid them or heat them until steaming hot.
2. Higher risk of bowel cancer and other conditions with regular intake of processed meat, which the World Health Organization's cancer agency classifies as carcinogenic to humans, because of nitrites, salt and smoking, so keep it occasional.
3. High salt (sodium), which can raise blood pressure over time, particularly in cured, canned and processed products.
4. Nitrites and nitrates used in curing, which can form cancer-linked nitrosamines when cooked at high heat, so avoid charring cured meats.
5. Raised LDL cholesterol and heart disease risk from the saturated fat in fattier cuts, skin and processed products, so choose lean cuts and trim visible fat. This applies to fattier meats such as bologna and salami.

GroupsProcessed Meat

Related foodsBaconCanned MeatChicken NuggetsChorizoCorned BeefFish Cakes

Wikipedia — Deli, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deli