People shocked to discover how sliced ham is really made: ‘What in the hell?’
You may want to reconsider pigging out on sliced ham.
The internet is recoiling in disgust after seeing footage detailing how sliced ham is allegedly processed.
A nauseating pink, goo-like concoction is mixed into a smooth, soft-serve consistency and plopped into tins similar to the size of a bread loaf, as documented in a stomach-churning viral video.
Next up: the Pepto-colored slop appears to be baked and sliced into what we would recognize as classic sliced sandwich meats.
“I don’t want to believe this,” the original poster captioned the clip, which has racked up more than 10 million views on TikTok.
Onlookers watched — and commented — in disgust after realizing the end product was processed ham slices.
“Me thinking this was the smoothest strawberry ice cream,” quipped one shocked viewer, while another sniped: “I stopped eating processed meat a long time ago … with no regrets!”
One baffled content consumer chimed in with, “What in the Ghostbusters pink slime surprise is in that?”
“What in the hell type chemicals are they using to be suited up like that!” yet another shocked person noted.
Perhaps this is exactly why one should never ask how the sausage is made.
However, while visually bizarre, the process is similar to that of fan-favorite hot dogs, which are also churned into a cake batter consistency and formed into its hallmark shape.
Meanwhile, according to McLean Meats, deli meats are typically made from “mechanically deboned meat cuts that are ground into a slurry,” which is then formed and sliced, much like the video.
But if pulling back the curtain on deli meat production isn’t enough to deter consumers, experts say processed cold cuts could have severe health consequences, such as cancer.
Earlier this year, researchers discovered that cigarette-style labels on meat could be enough to ward off health-conscious customers.
But not all experts are on board with the fear-mongering.
Dietitian and author Diana Rodgers previously told The Post that meat consumption is already on a downwards trend in high-income countries without the excessive labeling.
“We are seeing iron deficiency and meat is the best source [of iron],” she said. “We need to curb ultra-processed foods, not healthy proteins like meat.”
Meanwhile, it’s not just cold cuts that are revolting the online masses.
Crab stick fans are swearing off the savory accoutrement after a revolting video surfaced showing exactly how these faux seafood treats are made.
A Reddit post detailing the process is currently eliciting gags as disillusioned fans analogize the imitation crustacean to a “fish hotdog.”
“Surimi crab sticks are hygienically made using pure tender meat and natural pigment,” reads the description on the longer version of the video on YouTube.
In the revelatory, filmed at the world’s largest crab stick processing plant in Thailand, crab counterfeiters can be seen shoving white, cocaine-like bricks of frozen fish meat into a shredding machine.
These are then mulched up and transferred to another contraption and blended with salt and egg white. Copious ice cubes are subsequently dumped in along with sugar and vegetable oil while real crab is nowhere to be found.
Then, a giant rotating crisp pulverizes the ingredients into a beige sludge like some kind of bizarro confection from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
This is then mechanically molded into a long noodle that’s cocooned with its signature traffic cone orange coating.
For the uninitiated, this casing is dyed surimi, a multifaceted fish or meat paste that comes in various shapes and textures and can be used to approximate everything from eel to, well, crab a la a gourmet shapeshifter.
Of course, the behind-the-scenes look didn’t sit well with viewers.
“Watching processed food being made really puts you off,” declared one Redditor, while another wrote, “Yaaaaa I don’t want any f – – king thing to do with that.”
