Processed meat sticks increase the risks of high blood pressure, cancer and heart disease. So how did they become so popular with fitness enthusiasts and lifestyle gurus?

How did something as transparently dirty as cured meat enter the temple of clean? The American “meat stick” industry – mainly cured beef sticks that are awesomely calorific – hit $3bn last year. In the UK, processed meat snacking products have grown in sales by 38% since 2020, and are projected to pick up another 49% percent by 2027. The puzzle is not “are they tasty?” or “are they convenient?” We know they are, but so is a Snickers. Rather, how did a category that we’ve known for years is actively bad for your health come to be the snacking choice of gymgoers and lifestyle gurus alike?

Scientifically questionable meat-heavy diets come and go (remember the Atkins diet?) but in 2018, conservative guru Jordan Peterson went on Joe Rogan’s podcast to talk about his book 12 Rules for Life, and – complimented by Rogan on his physique – said in passing he now ate only beef, salt and water. And he never cheated. The “animal products only” Carnivore Diet, by orthopaedic surgeon Shawn Baker, was published at the same time.