{{short description|Precooked or cured meats that are sliced and served cold or hot}} {{other uses|Lunch Meat (film)|Lunch Meat (song)|Cold Meat (film)}} {{redirect|Cold cut|the English DJ duo|Coldcut||Cold Cuts (disambiguation)}} {{redirect|Luncheon meat|the food occasionally referred to as "luncheon meat"|Spam (food)}} {{distinguish|Corned beef|Bully beef}} {{Infobox prepared food | name = Lunch meat | image = File:13-08-31-wien-redaktionstreffen-EuT-by-Bi-frie-168.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = A platter of cold cuts | alternate_name = Cold cuts, luncheon meats, sandwich meats, cooked meats, sliced meats, cold meats, deli meats | main_ingredient = }}
'''Lunch meats'''—also known as '''cold cuts''', '''luncheon meats''', '''cooked meats''', '''sliced meats''', '''cold meats''', '''sandwich meats''', '''delicatessens''', and '''deli meats'''—are precooked or cured meats that are sliced and served cold or hot. They are typically served in sandwiches or on their own.<ref name=Today>{{cite web|title=The 5 things you need to know about deli meats|url=http://www.today.com/id/16361276/ns/today-food/t/things-you-need-know-about-deli-meats/#.UUVfpXBUOxI|work=Today Food|publisher=NBC News|access-date=17 March 2013|author=Phil Lempert|date=27 December 2006|archive-date=7 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407031459/http://www.today.com/id/16361276/ns/today-food/t/things-you-need-know-about-deli-meats/#.UUVfpXBUOxI|url-status=dead}}</ref> They can be purchased canned, pre-sliced (usually in vacuum packs), or they can be sliced to order, most often in delicatessens and charcuteries.
Lunch meats are processed meats designed for convenience. Preservatives widely added to extend the shelf life have been increasingly scrutinized due to potential links to certain diseases. In the US, ''Listeria'' infection is possible and has resulted in additional guidelines from the CDC for the elderly.
==Types== {{div col|colwidth=25em}} * Bresaola * Chicken breast * Chicken loaf (also known as chicken roll) * Corned beef * Cotechino * Ham ** Baked ** Boiled ** Chipped chopped ** Cooked ** ''Éisleker'' ** ''Jamón'': ''serrano'' or ''ibérico'' ** Presunto ** Prosciutto ** Smoked * Head cheese ** Salceson * Meatloaf ** Ham and cheese loaf ** Olive loaf ** Pepper loaf ** Pimento loaf ** Spiced luncheon loaf {{citation needed span|text=(also called old-fashioned loaf, and spiced lunch meat) is a luncheon meat made from coarse-ground lean pork and beef mixed with spices, formed into a loaf, and baked.|reason=Many claims, no citations.|date=April 2026}} ** Veal loaf * Mortadella * Pork roll * Roast beef * Roast lamb * Roast pork * Sausages **'' Bierwurst'' or ''beerwurst'' ** Blood tongue (''Zungenwurst'') ** Bologna, Polony *** Lebanon ** Braunschweiger *** ''Brühwurst'' *** ''Mettwurst'' ** Chorizo ** Devon ** ''Extrawurst'' ** ''Gelbwurst'' ** ''Jagdwurst'' ** ''Krakowska'' (Kraków-style pork sausage) ** ''Kabanos'' ** ''Myśliwska'' ** Liverwurst ** ''Prasky'' ** Morcilla ** Salami *** Alpino *** Capocollo *** Finocchiona *** Italian-style *** Jewish-style *** Pepperoni *** ''Soppressata'' ** Salchichón ** ''Saucisson sec'' (dry, maturing, salty, savoury-tasting French salami) ** Sausagemeat stuffing ** Summer sausage ** ''Teewurst'' * Smoked meat ** Montreal-style smoked meat ** Pastrami * Tongue * Turkey breast * Spam and Treet {{div col end}}
==Health== Most pre-sliced lunch meats are higher in fat, nitrates, and sodium than those that are sliced to order, as a larger exposed surface requires stronger preservatives.<ref name="Today" /> As a result, processed meats may significantly contribute to incidence of heart disease and diabetes, even more so than red meat.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Micha|first1=Renata|last2=Michas|first2=Georgios|last3=Mozaffarian|first3=Dariush|date=2012-12-01|title=Unprocessed red and processed meats and risk of coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes--an updated review of the evidence|journal=Current Atherosclerosis Reports|volume=14|issue=6|pages=515–524|doi=10.1007/s11883-012-0282-8|issn=1534-6242|pmc=3483430|pmid=23001745}}</ref>
A prospective study following 448,568 people across Europe showed a positive association between processed meat consumption and mortality caused by cardiovascular disease and cancer.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Rohrmann|first1=Sabine|last2=Overvad|first2=Kim|last3=Bueno-de-Mesquita|first3=H. Bas|last4=Jakobsen|first4=Marianne U.|last5=Egeberg|first5=Rikke|last6=Tjønneland|first6=Anne|last7=Nailler|first7=Laura|last8=Boutron-Ruault|first8=Marie-Christine|last9=Clavel-Chapelon|first9=Françoise|date=2013-01-01|title=Meat consumption and mortality--results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition|journal=BMC Medicine|volume=11|article-number=63|doi=10.1186/1741-7015-11-63|issn=1741-7015|pmc=3599112|pmid=23497300 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Similarly, a prospective study in the US following half a million people flagged a similar association between death and increased processed meat consumption.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sinha|first1=Rashmi|last2=Cross|first2=Amanda J.|author2-link=Amanda Cross (scientist)|last3=Graubard|first3=Barry I.|last4=Leitzmann|first4=Michael F.|last5=Schatzkin|first5=Arthur|date=2009-03-23|title=Meat intake and mortality: a prospective study of over half a million people|journal=Archives of Internal Medicine|volume=169|issue=6|pages=562–571|doi=10.1001/archinternmed.2009.6|issn=1538-3679|pmc=2803089|pmid=19307518}}</ref> The World Cancer Research Fund International guidelines on cancer prevention recommend avoiding all processed meats.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wcrf.org/int/research-we-fund/cancer-prevention-recommendations/animal-foods|title=Animal foods {{!}} World Cancer Research Fund International|website=wcrf.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222145245/http://wcrf.org/int/research-we-fund/cancer-prevention-recommendations/animal-foods |archive-date=2015-12-22 |url-status=dead |access-date=2015-12-17}}</ref>
==Safety== Deli lunch meat can be infected by ''Listeria''. In 2011, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that those over age 50 reheat lunch meats to "steaming hot" {{convert|165|°F|°C|0|abbr=on}} and use them within four days.<ref>{{cite news|last=Weise|first=Elizabeth|url=https://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/health/medical/2011-05-04-listeria-cdc-lunch-meat_n.htm|title=CDC: Over 50? Heat cold cuts to 165 degrees to avoid listeria|publisher=USA Today|website=Usatoday.com|date=2011-05-04|access-date=2022-04-13}}</ref> In 2023, after a recent outbreak, the CDC advised that "people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system" reheat deli products in order to "kill any germs", even when there is no ongoing outbreak.<ref>{{cite web |title=CDC: Listeria Outbreak Linked to Deli Meat and Cheese |url=https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/deli-11-22/index.html |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |language=en-us |date=29 March 2023}}</ref>
==See also== {{portal|Food}} *Smallgoods *Delicatessen *Charcuterie *List of dried foods *List of sandwiches *Dagwood sandwich
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{commons-inline}}
{{Sausage}}
Category:Lunch meat Category:Dried meat Category:Meat Category:Sandwiches Category:World cuisine Category:Lunch Category:Types of food Category:Sliced foods