Charcuterie & Cheese Tray vs Smoked Ham & Turkey Sub Kit: which is safer?

Oscar Mayer Smoked Ham & Turkey Sub Kit is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Boar's Head Charcuterie & Cheese Tray

Boar's Head

Charcuterie & Cheese Tray

PFAS grade

Good 70/100

Overall grade

Good 52/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

food (charcuterie, cheese); cardboard/plastic tray substrate

Confidence

72%

PossibleMicroplastics from packaging degradation

PossibleMold or bacterial growth on packaging (if dampness occurs)

ReportedChemical preservatives in the meat itself (not packaging)

Our pick

Oscar Mayer Smoked Ham & Turkey Sub Kit

Oscar Mayer

Smoked Ham & Turkey Sub Kit

PFAS grade

Good 70/100

Overall grade

Good 56/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

plastic film wrapper; likely PE or PP film

Confidence

72%

PossiblePlastic film leaching under heating

ReportedPathogenic bacterial growth if seal compromised

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Microplastics from packaging degradation, Mold or bacterial growth on packaging (if dampness occurs) and Chemical preservatives in the meat itself (not packaging) on the Boar's Head and not on the Oscar Mayer.
  • We flag Plastic film leaching under heating and Pathogenic bacterial growth if seal compromised on the Oscar Mayer and not on the Boar's Head.
  • The Boar's Head is food (charcuterie, cheese); cardboard/plastic tray substrate where the Oscar Mayer is plastic film wrapper; likely PE or PP film, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.

Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More deli meat & cold cuts packaging: see the full ranking