Ever read a story where celery and beets were the villians?
Buckle up for a peek into deceptive government labeling laws and why “uncured” bacon isn’t really uncured or nitrate free.
“Uncured” bacon, ham, hotdogs, lunch meat, etc. has become a buzzword and trendy product in our circle of clean, local, sustainable eating, but it’s really misleading.
Curing meat gives it the sweet, salty, delicious flavor we’re all looking for when we bite into a piece of bacon. It also keeps bacteria from growing, and helps cured meats keep their pink color instead of being an unappetizing gray slab of meat in a package.
There are a couple ways to accomplish curing meats - using sodium nitrite, which is a synthetic curing agent, or it can be done using celery and beet salts.
Both do the same thing - cure meat using nitrates.
If you look carefully at a package of “uncured” bacon it will say “no nitrates added, except those naturally occurring in celery/beet salt”. Sounds healthier than sodium nitrite, right?
The reality is that the chemical reactions of the celery or beet salts, proteins in meat, and our digestive system forms nitrites, the same compound the synthetic form of sodium nitrite adds.
So why is it labeled “uncured” or “nitrate-free” if it isn’t really? This is our ridiculous government food labeling laws at work.
When these products first started being produced 20 or so years ago, the decision was made that since celery salt was a natural curing compound that it didn’t fall into the same category as the synthetic curing products and would therefore need to be labeled as “uncured”.
Companies are legally required to label products cured with celery or beet salts as “uncured” even though it’s not true and the products still contain nitrates.
Way back in 2011, even Applegate Farms, one of the largest producers of these uncured meat products, requested a change to the labeling laws stating that it’s misleading to consumers to call something uncured that truly isn’t.
It was brought up again in 2020 as more studies continued to find no difference (or sometimes higher levels of nitrates) in “uncured” meat products compared to those cured with synthetic versions, but still nothing has been changed.
It’s pretty bad when the companies making a ton of money off the misleading labeling are lobbying to have the labeling laws changed.
There’s also been conflicting evidence about whether the nitrates in meat are actually dangerous for us. While some studies have shown that there is an increased risk of cancer when consuming processed meats, plenty of others have shown no correlation and think other foods or environmental factors are the root cause.
If you truly need or want to avoid nitrates, you’ll want to avoid even celery or beet cured products labeled as “uncured”.
You know I am all about quality food, avoiding toxins, and feeding my family and yours food I feel confident in. So here’s what I think and do for my own family:
I’m not giving up eating our bacon or ham, but it’s also not something we eat every day. When we do eat it, we are sure to pair it with plenty of vitamin C rich foods.
Depending on which processor we use for our hogs some use celery salt cure and some use sodium nitrite. Both are delicious and we enjoy both!
If I find evidence that I’m wrong and no longer comfortable eating meats cured with sodium nitrite, I’m not to proud to change my mind and share that with you. Until then, I’m going to enjoy bacon without fear.
Did you know this about “uncured” meats?
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