Are nitrites / nitrates in cured meats dangerous?

Hi,

There is currently a bit of media attention on claims that nitrates / nitrites in cured meats (bacon, ham, salami etc) are dangerous and should be outlawed.

eg https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46710071

Quote:

Leading scientists and a cross-party group of politicians are calling for chemicals called nitrites to be removed from processed meats like bacon. Cancer specialists and politicians are among those backing the campaign to take out nitrites. They say nitrite-free alternatives are safer and should be more widely used.

I think this is misinformed. I think adding nitrates/nitrites appropriately increases the safety of these products :

• nitrates/nitrites are the only effective way of preventing botulism - which otherwise would kill a lot of people
  
  
• the amount of nitrates/nitrites put into cured meats is small compared to other sources
  
  
• for example many vegetables contain vastly more than any cured meat
  
  
• the curing process uses up the nitrates/nitrites. I had a lab test done on some dry cured sausage that showed there was zero detectable nitrate or nitrite in the finished product.
  
  
• some people claim that nitrates in vegetables are not a problem because they contain vitamin C which reduces the risk of nitrosamine formation, however exactly the same effect is created in cured meat production by adding Vitamin C (or close equivalents like sodium ascorbate / erythorbate). Most cured meat producers use these, and in some countries they are required by regulation.
  
  
• Nitrosamines (the cancer causing chemicals) are only produced when nitrates are cooked at very high temperatures - almost burned - if more modest temperatures are used then no nitrosamines are created.
  
  
• If there is any risk from eating cooked cured meats, then surely there is a much greater risk from eating cooked vegetables - especially if they are cooked at high temperatures. e.g. stir fried veg in a wok must be super dangerous?
  
  
• Most of the 'nitrate free' products are actually produced by adding celery salt or some other source of 'natural' nitrates - which is just dishonest - and less safe as its hard to know exactly how much nitrate is being added
  
  
• There are lots of good reasons to only eat cured meats in moderation - e.g. salt intake, cholesterol, calories etc. Fear of nitrates/nitrites is not a good reason I think.
  
  

I suspect that the current criticism of nitrate/nitrite use in cured meats is not well founded and if they were removed people would die as a result, particularly due to increases in botulism fatalities which would seem inevitable.

My interest in this subject is that I make some cured meats myself on a small scale, and I do use nitrate / nitrites because I believe it is the safest way, and haven't found the argument against them convincing. However I'd happily switch methods if I was persuaded it was safer without them.

Please let me know what you think either way.

thanks - drelda

via International Skeptics Forum http://bit.ly/2AmyZzH