Cooked Cured Pork Pizza Topping

Cooked cured pork pizza topping is a meat product made from pork that has been preserved through a curing process, typically involving salt, nitrites or nitrates, and often sugar and spices. After curing, the pork is cooked and prepared into small pieces suitable for use as a pizza topping.

Manufacturers add cooked cured pork to products primarily for its savory flavor, meaty texture, and protein content. It is most commonly found in savory bakery products, pizzas, and frozen appetizers and hors d'oeuvres, as indicated by its presence in various packaged foods.

Cooked cured pork is a food ingredient and not a food additive subject to specific FDA approval as such; however, the curing agents used are regulated by the FDA. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO), has classified processed meats, which include cooked cured pork, as Group 1, meaning they are carcinogenic to humans. This classification is based on sufficient evidence that consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer. JECFA and EFSA evaluate food additives, not whole food ingredients like cooked cured pork. Like many cured meats, this topping can also contribute to dietary intake of sodium and saturated fat.