The Center for Science in the Public Interest and Consumer Reports are requesting that the USDA change regulatory practices regarding labeling to align scientific understanding of nitrates and nitrites with the general public’s perception.
Deli meats are typically cured with nitrates and nitrites to prevent bacterial growth. Since the 1920s synthetic nitrites have been incorporated into the curing process to cut time during processing. Health concerns began in the 1960s, and some meat producers removed the nitrites from their meat processing protocols. This led to a reduction in flavor and increased susceptibility to spoilage.
Fast forward to the 1990s and meat processors began using celery and other natural nitrate and nitrite sources for curing. USDA regulatory requirements stated that because the nitrates and nitrites came from different sources than synthetic labels such as no nitrates or nitrites added or uncured are acceptable. Members of the Center for Science in the Public Interest and Consumer Reports have recognized the inaccurate understanding this type of language generates, as it is not evidently stated that natural and synthetic nitrates/nitrites are identical biochemically. The mechanism by which nitrates and nitrites form nitrosamines, the potentially harmful form of the curing agents, relies on the presence of protein. Nitrates and Nitrites are naturally found in vegetables, but the lack of protein and higher levels of antioxidants, significantly reduce the formation of nitrosamines.