Pile of various types of bologna

What Exactly Is That Red Ring Around Bologna?

NEWS

BY JACKSON WILLIAMS

Bologna sandwich with chips
Bologna is any standard meat that's pulverized into a paste before taking shape. In order to maintain its shape, the meat needs a casing to hold everything together.
Packs of Oscar Mayer bologna
What bologna’s casing is made of can vary. Some have an edible, sausage-like coat made of animal submucosa (intestine) and might have the "natural" label tacked onto them.
Bologna hanging from rack
The second type of casing is made from the collagen of animal hides, which is also edible. The packaging will indicate whether the casing and meat are made from the same animal.
Wax casing around bologna
There's one type of inedible casing, which is the glossy red ring around the bologna. That waxy ring is made of a combination of cellulose and paper coated in glycerin or plastic.