What Causes the Slimy Film on Sliced Ham?!

What Causes the Slimy Film on Sliced Ham?

I purchase packages of pre-sliced ham from B.J Wholesales.... I notice a few days after I open them the ham gets this slippery film it... usually this doesn't happen until the ham has been opened for 4 or 5 days, but I bought a package last week and it became slimy after only a couple of days. I throw it out once this happens.

Does anyone know what causes this, and if it's a sign of spoilage?

I also eat a LOT of hard boiled eggs... cooking two dozen at a time. I peel and then store them in a Tupperware container. Those two get a slippery coating on them after 5 or so days....

I am storing both the ham and eggs in seperate air-tight containers, and my refrigerator is cooling to the correct temperature.

Thanks !
Chuck :- )

It seems like to me this is the first stage of spoilage. I have trouble with sliced ham, especially from a deli. It seems to go bad very quickly.

If you buy a chunk of ham and slice off what you need each time it will last longer and not get slimy.

Those lunch meat products have a lot of preservatives in them so they're edible way past the point you would want to. The best way to tell if it's good is the sniff test. If it smells nasty, it's too far gone.

As for the eggs, try storing them completely dry in a container with a couple of layers of paper towels. That should absorb the moisture, which is probably causing the problem. Or you could store them in the shells, but they may be very hard to peel.