Why You Should Avoid Walmart When Buying Bologna

If you're planning on buying some bologna at the supermarket today, you might want to think twice about where you shop. Bologna is one of those highly processed meats whose quality can be very high (bougie butcher shop) or very low (mysterious pink slices). This is one lunchtime snack that you don't want to cheap out on. When it comes to budget-friendly grocery shopping, Walmart's Great Value brand can often be a go-to for shoppers looking to save money. However, not all Great Value products are created equal, and two that fall particularly short are the Great Value Beef Bologna and Great Value Thick Cut Bologna. Though these two meats are certainly easy on the wallet, there are many reasons you should skip right over them.

One of the biggest drawbacks to Walmart's bologna is right on the package: its ingredients. For instance, the thick cut version is made with mechanically separated chicken, a common ingredient in canned meats you should avoid. It isn't inherently bad, but it's highly processed and more susceptible to microbial growth and contamination. 

Both products include mysterious "flavoring," corn syrup, and salty preservatives like sodium nitrite, which can all be red flags when it comes to sourcing quality deli meat. Corn syrup can raise blood sugar levels, while sodium nitrite has been linked to cancer. While we don't expect the behemoth retail giant to provide grade A beef in its bologna, a processed meat paste is certainly subpar when it comes to making sammies. 

While we never want to fat-shame our lunch meat, a lot of the fat in a slice of Walmart's bologna is saturated fat. Saturated fats can raise your "bad" cholesterol and put you at higher risk for heart disease. But worst of all, each of the beef bologna slices also contains 1 gram of trans fat, which is one of the biggest dietary no-nos. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) actually banned artificial trans fat, phasing it out between 2015 and 2018. Even if you're willing to stake your life and your liver on this bologna, it's far from worth it. Luckily, there's plenty of better bologna out there. 

If you'd like to seriously upgrade your seasoned sausage, there's always bologna's sexier Italian sister, mortadella. This cold cut of cured pork, which hails (naturally) from Bologna, Italy, contains visible cubes of pork fat, along with spices, peppercorns, and sometimes pistachios. Unlike the wild west of bologna here in the States, mortadella has strict production regulations in Italy and is slow-cooked with a more delicate flavor. You can likely find it at a good grocery store's deli counter or a specialty market online. 

If you'd prefer a slightly less artisanal lunch meat, consider Whole Foods' uncured beef bologna, which is made with natural, minimal ingredients. For the healthiest option that avoids pork, beef, or poultry altogether, try a vegan bologna. Sure, it's just as processed as any other packaged food, but it's also got all the protein and vitamins without any of the shady things about Walmart's grocery department.