Frequently Asked Questions

Both USDA organic certification and the Non-GMO Project seal are great methods for avoiding GMOs in your foods. Furthermore, both labels are helping to provide greater transparency for consumers about what’s in their food and how it’s being produced.

Founded in 2008, the Non-GMO Project’s mission is “to preserve and build sources of Non-GMO products, educate consumers, and provide verified Non-GMO choices”. The Non-GMO Project offers North America’s only third party verification and labeling for Non-GMO food and products.

Waterhill Naturals all-natural ham is fully cooked and ready to eat. You may eat it directly from the package or in a sandwich. We do not recommend recooking our ham, as it will potentially become too dry, although a slight reheating may be acceptable.

It’s true that nitrites and nitrates are naturally occurring minerals found in both sea salt and celery juice powder. When consumed in small quantities, they are not a health concern.

We recommend 4-5 days for optimal freshness and flavor.

“Uncured” means that thousand-year-old traditional curing agents such as sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite have not been used in our products. We rely upon “naturally occurring” nitrates and nitrite, such as sea salt and celery powder. See our all-natural uncured hickory smoked bacon and uncured turkey hot dog products.

HPP stands for “High Pressure Processing.” Thousands of pounds of pressure per square inch are applied to our packaging in a water bath that evenly distributes the pressure. This pressure acts on cell membranes within the package and delays the development of naturally occurring micro flora. The result is a fresher product for a longer period of time.

Nitrates are naturally occurring in many of our ingredients, such as sea salt and celery powder. It is also naturally occurring in water. We do not add Sodium Nitrite to our all-natural meat products. However, we do add nitrites/nitrates in the form of celery powder and sea salt.

Federal Regulations prohibit the use of hormones in poultry; however, hormones are very often given to beef and pork to encourage faster growth. When ingested by people, some fear these hormones may have potential negative effects on development and health. This is unacceptable to us. We therefore ensure that all of our all natural meat products are raised without hormones.

Humanely raised food products have come from facilities that meet precise, objective standards for farm animal treatment. That means they haven’t been raised in cages or tightly crowded barns.

We don’t recommend freezing Waterhill Naturals deli meat products, since freezing can affect the taste and texture of our sliced meats.

Please open and use Waterhill Naturals deli meat products before their expiration dates. Because we use HPP (High Pressure Processing), our products expire 100 days after packaging – so you have some time! However, all deli meat should be used within 5 days of opening regardless of expiration date.

Yes. We don’t use any meats that have been treated with antibiotics.

We use less salt, which retains less moisture. Less moisture produces meats without a rubbery, wet texture – just like your Sunday roast!

Our pork comes from animals that receive no antibiotics in their feed, allowing them to grow naturally. We use only this kind of pork because you don’t need unnecessary antibiotics in your diet. Although there are naturally occurring nitrites and nitrates in bacon, they are minimal. We do not add ingredients such as sodium nitrite. In fact, high levels of nitrates and nitrites might be harmful when reaching a certain temperature during cooking. Your family doesn’t need that in their diet either.

Too much sodium can actually mask the natural taste and texture of the meat. We use just enough salt to allow the all-natural taste and grain of our premium quality meats to shine through.

Yes, this sheen is normal. It is the physical phenomenon of diffraction caused by the moisture in the “red” meat being refracted in the meat’s muscle fibers. It is found both in beef and pork. It is not readily observed in poultry, as the muscle fibers in chicken and turkey are very light in color. Since diffraction is a purely physical phenomenon and has nothing to do with microbial growth, iridescent deli meat poses absolutely no safety risk, nor does it have any effect on taste. See our roast beef products here.

Salt is an essential ingredient in the production of deli meats. However, using too much salt is actually a detriment and will cause “rubbery” texture.