The Best Bologna Brand You Can Buy Is Found At Whole Foods

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When grocery shopping — even for something as simple as lunch meat — the sheer volume of options can sometimes feel overwhelming. We set out to make that search a bit easier. When ranking nine different bologna brands, we found the Whole Foods 365 brand uncured beef bologna to be the best of the best. It tasted far superior to the others that were sampled. There was no bland, salted meat flavor, but notes of celery, mustard, smoke, and garlic, instead. And, for an uncured bologna, it was not at all lacking in the yummy saltiness that makes cured meats so good. This bologna also boasts an appealing and short ingredients list complete with antibiotic and hormone-free beef.

The Whole Foods website only lists 12 ingredients total for this product. The fact that the label specifically doesn't name nitrites (a type of salt used for curing meat) among the contents could be considered a bonus for some people. Our reviewer certainly noticed. But it's worth pointing out that 365 uncured beef bologna does contain celery powder. This ingredient is considered a natural nitrite source and could have similar implications on health. Nitrites are known to convert to a carcinogenic compound in the body when consumed or through the cooking process, so even natural ones might pose some health risk. However, that sort of comes with the territory eating any kind of processed red or cured meat, and the 365 brand bologna still beat out its highly-processed competition in terms of overall ingredients without compromising one lick of taste.

The short and relatively approachable ingredients list for the 365 brand uncured beef bologna seems to appeal to others that have tried it. One blogger who also enjoyed the bologna said, "For shoppers who prioritize cleaner ingredients but still crave the comfort of a classic bologna sandwich, 365's version strikes an excellent balance." Another customer who reviewed the bologna on Amazon said, "This is the best bologna I have ever eaten. The flavor is wonderful, I like the thin slices, and it seems much less greasy than other brands. This is my forever bologna!" Sounds like the 365 brand uncured beef bologna is the clear choice if you're ready to level up your classic bologna sandwich.

Bologna makes one of the best deli meats, thanks in part to its simplicity. It pairs perfectly well with just mustard and mayo or combinations of condiments and toppings. The Whole Foods 365 uncured beef bologna took top spot in our rankings because it captured the essence of what makes bologna so good while sprinkling in a bit of refinement and extra flavor.