Learn more about Sodium nitrate, Potassium nitrate, and Potassium nitrite

These three chemical preservatives are traditionally used in the processing of cooked and smoked deli meats. Their primary purpose is to prevent botulism, and to improve color and flavour. Mclean Organic Foods does not use any of these preservatives in their products.

Product safety and stability, plus quality taste and appeal can be obtained through more natural measures. The following information was taken from Hard to Swallow, The truth about food additives, Page 88 - Alive Books, Authors Doris Sarjeant & Karen Evans.

Nitrite, in large amounts, is known to be toxic and has been reported as the cause of numerous deaths. It has the ability to change hemoglobin to methemoglobin and this is what makes nitrite so dangerous. Hemoglobin is the component of red blood cells that carries oxygen to all the cells of the body. Methemoglobin is unable to carry oxygen, therefore the conversion of hemoglobin to methemoglobin drastically impairs the bloods’ ability to carry oxygen. The resulting condition is called methemoglobinemia. People suffering from this condition have difficulty breathing; experience skin discoloration (bluish tinge) and can even lose consciousness which, in turn, can cause death if the levels of methemoglobin rise higher. According to FAO/WHO, babies seem especially vulnerable to methemoglobin. In addition, fetal hemoglobin is more easily changed to methemoglobin. In 1995, at its forty-fourth meeting, the FAO/WHO concluded by stating “nitrite should not be used… in foods for infants below the age of three months.”

At one time, food manufacturers added sodium nitrite to baby food to make it look good. Once the public became informed of the risks of nitrite in baby food, they applied pressure to industry and it was voluntarily withdrawn. Nevertheless, it has been pointed out that since Canada has no regulations restricting the use of cured meats (containing nitrite) in baby foods, we have no assurance that it is not being used now, will not be used in the future or is not being imported legally now.

Studies have suggested that nitrite on its own causes cancer. However, an even more serious cause for concern is its tremendous potential for causing cancer in the form of “nitrosamines.” Nitrosamines are formed when nitrites react with secondary amines which occur naturally in foods containing proteins. They are considered to be among the most powerful cancer-causing agents yet discovered. Experiments have shown that minute amounts of certain nitrosamines could cause cancer in animals. Dr. William Lijinsky, an internationally recognized authority on nitrites and cancer, told a US Senate agricultural committee that there is evidence to show that nitrites in meat are the most dangerous food additives today and that they are major contributors to cancer. He went on to say that one thousand people die from cancer every day in the US alone and that most of the deaths are due to the foods people ate thirty to forty years ago. He feels that the use of nitrate and nitrite in such meats as bacon, wieners, bologna, salami, pepperoni, sausages and ham pose a significant risk to children. He verifies that nitrosamines have caused cancer in twenty-four species of animals tested at the Frederick Cancer Research Centre. Other adverse reactions included miscarriages, fetal deaths and birth defects in laboratory animals.

Meat processors responded by saying that since nitrite inhibited the growth of bacteria which caused botulism, the benefits out-weighed the risks. It is important to know that there are safer ways to inhibit the growth of botulism spores but these alternatives don’t improve the colour or flavor of meat. The danger of botulism can be checked by proper refrigeration and cooking. Apparently the botulism spores germinate at a slow rate and refrigeration retards this growth. The meat industry concedes this point while quickly pointing out that consumers may not be as careful about refrigeration as it is. Nitrite does not destroy the spores but simply retards their germination. Dr. Ross Hume Hall describes an experiment in which bacon was held at 26 degrees Celsius (80F). The spores did not reach a toxic level (at which botulism poisoning would occur) until the tenth day. If the bacon had been refrigerated, it would have retarded the growth for an even longer period. Hall feels that consumers would agree to have meat marked with throw-away dates. We must agree especially if it would mean putting an end to sodium nitrite in our food.

The closing of small local plants and the move toward larger central plants controlled by huge corporations has created a problem for manufacturers distributing their products to consumers hundreds of miles away. They have overcome this problem with the use of sodium nitrite. It would seem that industry is not as concerned with how long consumers keep meat as they are with having extended shelf-life for their own convenience.

Some processors are now producing preserved meats free of both nitrite and botulism due to modern techniques and careful handling. Why can’t this be done in all meat-processing plants? Dr. Hall recommends three alternatives to nitrite: “1. proper sanitation in packaging plants. 2. Smoking – genuine smoke, not the liquid kind that comes in bottles. 3. Salt alone will inhibit C. botulism. Salt cured meat should be refrigerated for the short term and frozen for the long term. With respect to taste, salt is the principal contributor, so absence of nitrite and nitrate would not be noticed. Note that salt cured meats should be eaten sparingly anyway because you don’t need all that salt in your diet.”

Canada and the US have acknowledged the danger of nitrates/nitrites by lowering the levels permitted for use in foods. The fact that nitrosamines can be formed from any amount of nitrites does not make lower levels particularly effective in preventing these formations. As we have stated previously, certain nitrosamines even in extremely tiny amounts are potent carcinogens. Perhaps with increased public awareness of the dangers of these additives and less pressure from industry, the government would take more realistic action. A safer alternative would be to simply remove these dangerous chemicals and try alternative methods.