What Exactly Is That Red Ring Around Bologna?

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.

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.

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.

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.