Bacon, ham and sausage: what matters on the label – 02/05/2023 – Cozinha Bruta

In a week with a subject as exciting as PL 2630 (the PL for Fake News), it is surprising that a text on technical standards for the production and labeling of ham reached the top of Folha’s most read articles. Something almost identical happened a few weeks ago with bacon.

I like to see that people are interested in knowing what they are eating. The conscious purchase of food is good for your pocket, for a tastier meal, for your health, for the environment, etc. and such.

These Ministry of Agriculture norms, however, address technical minutiae to adapt Brazilian legislation to international rules. Nothing that makes a big difference for Dona Maria and Seu José who are going to buy “two hundred” grams of ham at the bakery.

What really matters in the purchase decision is always in the fine print on the packaging, in the list of ingredients that is often hidden behind a fold of the plastic wrapper.

Since we are talking about ham and bacon, let’s stick to meat products: sausages, cured, salted and smoked meats.

People like lists, so let’s list.

1. The order of ingredients

This goes for any food: the list of ingredients brings the elements in descending order, by weight. It means that the first name is the predominant ingredient, and the following ones, well… follow the order. It’s a very clarifying rule, but one that can be tricky with components like seasonings and chemical additives: they always go in relatively small amounts.

two. The quality of ingredients

It doesn’t matter if it’s chuck or filet mignon, but the degree of processing of the meat makes a difference. Larger pieces mean less leftovers from deboning animals. Ground beef is worse than minced meat (this is obviously not true of the hamburger, which is ground beef by definition).

The lowest point is in the mechanically separated meats (CMS) present in many sausages. It is the waste from the use of a carcass and, in general, it is poultry meat (chicken and turkey) added to products that are normally pork or beef. Carefully read the sausage and burger fine print.

3. artificial smoking

In the case of smoked products (bacon, ham, sausage), it is worth checking whether the process is natural (meat exposed to smoke) or made with additives. The additive, liquid or powder, is based on smoke. It doesn’t make much difference from a health point of view, but it does in terms of taste: artificial smoking tends to be too intense.

4. water to make volume

In products such as sausages and hamburgers, the list of ingredients often contains a certain percentage of water.

In a survey I did in a supermarket (I’m one of those), I found fresh sausages with water content between 3% and 15%. This water, when you fry the sausage, literally evaporates – so the less water, the more your money is worth.

In the case of sausages and hamburgers, water is combined with soy protein to fill, more cheaply, the weight that should be meat.

5. salt and fat

The industry has until October to comply with a labeling rule that ostensibly displays, on the front of the package, whether the product has a high content of sodium (salt), sugar or saturated fat.

In the case of processed meats, sodium and fat alerts are almost certain. We shouldn’t worry: salt and lard have always been among the elements that ensured the preservation of these foods.

The sensible consumption of these meats should imitate the habits of the ancients: in small portions, with bread, grains and vegetables.

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