SPAM Chopped Pork and Ham — DUMP

Name: SPAM Chopped Pork and Ham
Brand: Hormel

Munch or Dump rates SPAM Chopped Pork and Ham by Hormel DUMP — score 17/90.

Heavily processed canned meat cured with sodium nitrite, loaded with salt and saturated fat, plus added sugar, starch and a stabiliser. NOVA 4 through and through.

Why this verdict

Cured with sodium nitrite — processed meat is a WHO Group 1 carcinogen
Very high salt (~2.4g/100g) and saturated fat (~9.7g/100g)
Added sugar and modified starch padding out the meat
Phosphate stabiliser and added flavourings — textbook NOVA 4

Ingredients (10)

Pork (89%) (moderate) — Real meat and the bulk of the product, but fatty cuts driving high saturated fat.
Salt (moderate) — Used in moderation, might exceed necessary amount.
Starch (moderate) — Added refined starch for structure, empty carbs
Water (safe) — Used as a basic ingredient in bread.
Ham (2%) (moderate) — Token amount of cured ham, mostly there for the name.
Sugar (moderate) — Added for sweetness, can contribute to calorie content.
Stabiliser: Trisodium Diphosphate (concerning) — Added phosphate that improves water-binding; high phosphate intake stresses kidneys and is linked to cardiovascular risk.
Flavourings (moderate) — Undisclosed added flavor compounds engineered to mimic BBQ ribs.
Antioxidant: Sodium Ascorbate (safe) — A form of vitamin C used to speed curing and limit nitrosamine formation.
Preservative: Sodium Nitrite (harmful) — Curing agent that forms carcinogenic nitrosamines in processed meat — the marker of the Group 1 carcinogen classification.