People refuse to eat sliced ham anymore after seeing how it’s made
The process has left people feeling queasy
You'd think how sliced ham is made would be pretty self-explanatory.
After all, don't they just thinly slice the larger lumps of ham we sometimes shove in the oven for our roast dinners?
Well, apparently not.
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Sliced ham is the latest foodstuff people are seeing in a new light after learning the ugly truth of how it's made.
You love it on your sandwiches, in your salads and on your cheese boards.
But many people are swearing off it after a video went viral on TikTok, revealing how the pork product comes into existence.
It starts off as pink goo which is scraped into a yellow tub by a factory worker.
This worker then dishes out the slop - which resembles melting strawberry ice cream - into loaf shaped tubs.
These tubs are then left to air out and let the material inside flatten.
Next up, the tub are transported inside an oven, from which they emerge looking brown and crispy.
After this, they are stacked up onto a slicing machine, which dices it up.
As the slices fall through, the pink insides are revealed.
And that, dear reader, is how ham comes into existence.
Even reading my description may not give you a full sense of how stomach turning the process actually looks.
Ham slices are made from meat that has been mechanically recovered.
Describing the creation process, dietitian Carrie Ruxton said: "All of the little bits that are left over on the bone will be blasted off with high-pressure water."
While uncooked, rolled ham is often seen as the better option, the meat itself can often be compiled together from several different animals.
Ruxton's advice?
"Go for the most expensive meat you can afford and eat a bit less of it."
Judging by the reactions to the video, many people will be eating a little less meat.
The video has so far drawn in more than 8 million views on TikTok, with thousands of condemnatory comments.
One viewer asked: "What in the Ghost Busters pink slime surprise is that?"
Another wrote: "What in the hell type of chemicals are they using to be suited up like that?"
A fellow viewer commented: "I give up. I'm just going to be hungry."
This isn't the first time that a behind the scenes look has left people without an appetite.
Many were left disturbed when they saw how crabsticks were made.
One would assume it would start with crab meat, right?
Wrong.
Broadly speaking, the grey meat is comprised of a species called Alaskan pollock.
That meat is then fed into a mixer, where it is mashed up, then churned up with other ingredients such as egg whites and wheat, which is then – you’ve guessed it – mixed up once again.
Yummy.
Just wait until people find out how sausages are made - they'll be going vegetarian by the droves.
But on second thoughts, maybe not.
Ben Thompson