About 36% of all meat produced in the world is pork, which is the most popular meat in the world. It’s especially popular in East and Southeast Asia, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, North America, South America, and Oceania.
No matter how you think about it, pigs are rather dirty animals. They’re considered the garbage and waste eliminators of the farm, often eating literally anything they can find. This includes not only bugs, insects, and any food scraps they find lying around, but also their own waste and the dead bodies of sick animals, even their own young.
Being aware of what a pig eats can help you understand why its meat might not taste very good. Being “grossed out” might or might not be a good reason not to eat something, but you should learn more about pork before making up your own mind.
Pork is prohibited in certain religions and diets, such as Jewish kosher and Islamic halal rules. Even for non-religious reasons many choose to avoid pork for health environmental or ethical concerns. However, pork derivatives can sneak their way into unexpected foods and products. Being vigilant about labels and knowing where to look is key to steering clear of accidental pork consumption.
Why Avoid Pork?
There are a variety of motivations people may have for avoiding pork including
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Religious dietary restrictions – Judaism and Islam prohibit pork consumption completely.
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Vegetarian/vegan diets – Vegans avoid all animal products, including pork.
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Pork allergies – Though uncommon, pork allergies can cause reactions ranging from mild to anaphylactic.
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Health reasons – Some avoid pork over concerns about parasites, hormones or nitrates used to cure meats.
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Environmental impact – Pork production is taxing on the environment, leading some to reduce intake.
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Ethical concerns – Criticism of factory farming conditions causes some to boycott pork on principle.
Regardless of the specific reason, with care reading labels, it’s possible for most people to maintain a pork-free diet.
Unexpected Pork Products
Pork derivatives can turn up in peculiar places you may not consider. Here are some to look out for:
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Gelatin – Used to thicken and stabilize foods, gelatin often comes from pork skins and bones. It’s common in yogurts, ice cream, marshmallows, gummy candy and Jell-O.
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L-cysteine – An amino acid derived from hair, feathers or bristles used in some breads as a dough conditioner.
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Natural flavorings – Can come from pork or other meats. Always check ingredient lists.
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Cheeses – Some use pork enzymes to develop flavor. Verify no animal-based enzymes or rennet.
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Broths and soups – Some contain pork stocks, flavorings or fats. Avoid uncertified varieties.
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Refried beans – Lard is sometimes used to fry and add porky flavor. Check labels.
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Imitation seafood – Imitation crab and calamari can have pork-based fillers.
Reading Labels to Detect Pork
Carefully reading ingredient labels is the best way to identify hidden pork products. Watch for these tricky terms:
- Gelatin or gelatine
- L-cysteine
- Natural flavors or flavoring
- Rennet or rennin
- Enzymes
- Glycerin or glycerol
- Monoglycerides and diglycerides
- Pepsin
- Fatty acids
- Glycerides
- Unless vegetarian status is specified
Contact manufacturers if unsure about mysterious ingredients. Many are glad to clarify sources.
Naturally Pork-Free Foods
Some foods are inherently pork-free:
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Fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, nuts and seeds
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Dairy products with vegetarian enzymes
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Breads and baked goods without L-cysteine
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Pure spices and condiments
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Cane sugar and vegetable oils
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Certified kosher and halal products
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Labeled vegan products
Meat and Protein Alternatives
For non-vegans avoiding pork, choose:
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Beef, bison, venison, goat, lamb
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Chicken, turkey, duck
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Fish and seafood
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Eggs and dairy with no pork enzymes
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Tofu, tempeh, seitan and other plant-based meat substitutes
Dining Out Pork-Free
Eating pork-free while dining out takes extra care:
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Ask about ingredients and preparation methods
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Avoid soups, broths, baked goods, imitation seafood
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Request no pork fat or lard be used
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Verify salad dressings, sauces and condiments
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For Chinese/Asian cuisine, check no oyster/hoisin sauce
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Ensure vegetarian dishes have no pork enzymes
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Inform staff of any pork allergies
Hidden Pork in Other Products
Apart from food, pork derivatives can also turn up in:
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Certain soaps, cosmetics and skin care products
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Pet foods
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Cigarettes and vaping products
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Some vaccines and medications
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Supplements, especially gelatin capsules
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Art supplies like paint brushes and adhesives
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Toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss
Always check labels and ingredient lists, even for non-edible items. Contact manufacturers about any questionable ingredients.
The Bottom Line
Avoiding pork requires diligent label reading and questioning manufacturers about origins. But with care, it’s possible to find abundant tasty pork-free options. Focus on whole, unprocessed plant foods and certified kosher/halal/vegan products when possible. The growing popularity of meat-free lifestyles makes pork-free eating easier now than ever.
Frequency of Entities:
Pork: 23
Gelatin: 7
Labels: 8
Enzymes: 5
L-cysteine: 3
Kosher: 3
Halal: 2
Vegan: 4
Vegetarian: 2
The Problems With Pork
There are several reasons why pig meat is more likely to contain toxins than meat from many other farm animals. The first reason has to do with the digestive system of a pig.
Animals and people both get rid of extra toxins and other parts of the food they eat that could be bad for their health during digestion. Because a pig’s digestive system works pretty simply, many of these toxins stay in its body and are stored in its plenty of fat until they are ready to be eaten.
Another issue with the pig is that it has very few functional sweat glands and can barely sweat at all. Sweat glands are a tool the body uses to be rid of toxins. This leaves more toxins in the pig’s body.
When you consume pork meat, you too get all these toxins that weren’t eliminated from the pig. For instance, there have been examples of pigs and pork products being contaminated with:
In fact, we should all do what we can to eliminate and cut down on toxin exposure. One vital way to do this is by choosing what you eat carefully.
According to the World Health Organization, processed meat like ham, bacon and sausage can cause cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer actually classifies processed meat as a carcinogen, something that causes cancer. A very large 18% increase in the risk of colorectal cancer was found in people who ate 50 grams of processed meat every day.
Processed meat is considered to be food items like ham, bacon, sausage, hot dogs and some deli meats. Noticing a theme there? Those are mainly pork-derived food products.
How much processed meat is 50 grams? That’s about four strips of bacon.
Maybe you’re thinking that you only eat two pieces of bacon regularly. According to this research, that would likely equate to a 9 percent increase of cancer likelihood.
People on the keto diet, the Paleo diet, and the Atkins diet, for example, often eat pork and processed meat, which is not good for them. Instead, they should use healthier meat, like beef, lamb, bison or chicken. Ad.
The swine flu is another virus that has made the leap from pig to human. The influenza virus can be passed directly from pigs to people, from people to pigs, and from people to people. Human infection with flu viruses from pigs are most likely when humans are physically close to infected pigs.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, H1N1 and H3N2 are swine flu viruses that are “endemic among pig populations in the United States and something that the industry deals with routinely.” Outbreaks can occur year-round. H1N1 has been observed in pig populations since at least 1930, while H3N2 began in the United States around 1998.
According to the CDC, eating properly handled and cooked pork has not been shown to spread swine flu to people. To properly prepare pork, it must be cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, which is thought to kill all viruses and other pathogens that can be spread through food.
Did you know that pigs and their meat carry different kinds of parasites? Some of these parasites are hard to kill, even when the meat is cooked. This is the reason there are so many warnings out there about eating undercooked pork.
One of the biggest concerns with eating pork meat is trichinosis or trichinellosis. This is an infection that humans get from eating undercooked or uncooked pork that contains the larvae of the trichinella worm. In some countries and cultures, they actually consume pork raw.
This worm parasite is very commonly found in pork. The worm usually lives in cysts in the stomach. When stomach acids break open the cysts, the worm’s larvae enter the pig’s body. These new worms make their homes in the muscles of the pig.
Next stop? The unknowing human body that consumes this infected meat flesh.
Similarly to what these worms do to the pig, they can also do to humans. If you eat raw or undercooked pork that has the parasite on it, you are also eating trichinella larvae that are enclosed in a cyst.
Your digestive juices dissolve the cyst, but that only unleashes the parasite into your insides. The larvae then penetrate your small intestine, where they mature into adult worms and mate. If you’re at this stage of trichinosis, you may experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. About a week after eating the pork that was infected, the adult female worms that are now inside you will make larvae that will enter your bloodstream and eventually burrow into muscle or other tissue. Once this tissue invasion occurs, symptoms of trichinosis include:
- Headache
- High fever
- General weakness
- Muscle pain and tenderness
- Pink eye (conjunctivitis)
- Sensitivity to light
- Swelling of the eyelids or face
People don’t want to eat worms, but trichinosis is a very dangerous disease that you should do almost anything to avoid. Symptoms in the abdomen can show up one to two days after infection, and other symptoms usually begin two to eight weeks after infection.
According to Mayo Clinic, the severity of symptoms typically depends on the number of larvae consumed in the infected meat.
The CDC says that to get rid of any worms, pork should be cooked all the way through and then frozen before cooking.
It’s actually been theorized that trichinellosis is the exact cause of Mozart’s rather sudden death at age 35. This is what an American researcher thought after looking at all the records from the days before, during, and after Mozart’s death.
This research published in Archives of Internal Medicine’s June 2001 issue found that Mozart suffered many of the above listed symptoms and that he recorded in his journal the consumption of pork just 44 days before his own death.
Pigs carry many viruses and parasites with them. Whether by coming in direct contact with them through farms or by eating their meat, we put ourselves at higher risk of getting one of these painful, often debilitating diseases (not to mention put our bodies on toxic overload).
- Taenia solium tapeworm
- Hepatitis E virus (HEV)—Some people in developed countries have gotten HEV genotype 3 after eating pork that wasn’t cooked all the way through.
- Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, aka blue-ear pig disease
- Nipah virus
- Menangle virus
- Viruses in the family Paramyxoviridae
These parasites and viruses can all make you very sick and keep you sick for years to come.
It’s also important to know about the common conditions of pork raised for consumption. Today, a vast majority of pigs in the United States are raised in factory farms. This means that these pigs never live healthy lives of fresh air and wide-open pastures.
If you’re a pork eater, you should know that it’s very likely that you’re eating the meat of a pig that spent all of its time in a crowded warehouses with no fresh air or exercise, fed a steady diet of harmful drugs to keep the pig breathing as producers make pigs grow faster and fatter. These drugs often cause the pigs to become crippled under their own excessive and unnatural weight gain.
A group called PETA says that about 70% of factory-farmed pigs have pneumonia when they get to the slaughterhouse. Unsightly factory-farm conditions of filth and extreme overcrowding lead pigs to have an extreme likelihood for serious diseases. Because of how bad things are, the only way to keep these pigs alive is to sometimes abuse and overuse antibiotics.
Similarly to humans, pigs are more commonly developing diseases that are resistant to antibiotics. You might like the taste of pork, but would you want to eat something made from pork that came from a pig that had “superbacteria”?
The bacteria-laden pork story continues. A 2013 Consumer Reports analysis of U.S. pork chops and ground pork samples found widespread (69 percent) presence of a bacteria called yersinia enterocolitica. This bacterium infects about 100,000 Americans a year, especially children, and can cause fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain in humans.
Why billions of people won’t eat pork (or why we don’t know)
FAQ
What foods secretly contain pork?
What are the symptoms of pork intolerance?
Why do I have an aversion to pork?
Why does pork make my stomach upset?
Is pork bad for You?
Pork is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals but also in animal fats, which can be a concern when consumed in excess. Moderation is key, as well as paying attention to how the pork is prepared. Cholesterol & Heart Health: Pork contains saturated fats, which can lead to higher cholesterol levels and potentially increase the risk of heart disease.
Why is pork not recommended to eat?
This is not true, some cuts like sirloin and pork rump steak, for example, are very healthy, even healthier than beef and chicken. Only the fattest cuts like bacon and crackling should be avoided.
Why are processed pork foods less recognizable as pork?
Processed pork foods are often less recognizable as pork because they undergo transformations that alter their original form. Bacon is a notable example, commonly used to add a savory flavor to dishes; it’s cured and sometimes smoked, giving it a distinctive taste.
Are there hidden pork bi-products in food?
Many common foods and drinks surprisingly contain pork-derived ingredients like gelatin, natural flavors, emulsifiers, and more. Even foods labeled as “vegetarian” or that don’t seem like they would contain pork can include hidden pork bi-products.