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As stated in the article, the core problem is nitrates/nitrites. This isn't a bacon-specific problem. It's a problem in all cured meats - hot dogs, SPAM, sala

As stated in the article, the core problem is nitrates/nitrites. This isn't a bacon-specific problem. It's a problem in all cured meats - hot dogs, SPAM, salami, etc. Fortunately, there's plenty of "uncured" bacon and hot dog options in grocery stores these days. You just have to read the packaging.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
kevinmchugh 6y ago
Note that lots of those products say "no added nitrites or nitrates except those naturally occurring" in other ingredients. And then one of the ingredients is celery powder, which is only added for its nitrates. It's awfully misleading packaging. If you're eating bacon and it tastes like bacon, it's cured.
- lol768 6y ago
  > If you're eating bacon and it tastes like bacon, it's cured. In Northern Ireland there's a producer (Finnebrogue) which sells nitrite-free bacon (no, it doesn't contain celery - "adding nitrites from vegetable extracts for a technological function and/or as a preservative, is banned by the European Union") . It's pretty decent, tastes like bacon. > The range replaces the nitrites commonly used to cure bacon and give them their recognisable colour with a Mediterranean fruit and spice extract it claims matches the shelf life of traditionally produced bacon and ham. They seem to be mostly useless at preventing Botlusim anyway: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/mar/23/nitrites-ham-bacon-cancer-risk-additives-meat-industry-confidential--report https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/mar/23/nitrites-ham-ba...
  - YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago
    >> It's pretty decent, tastes like bacon. What I've found is that peoples' tastes develop according to what we usually eat, so "tastes like bacon" is different if you're used to eating meats cured with nitrites, than what it would be if you didn't. I've said this story before on HN: in Greece, where I'm currently at, about 80% of the milk in supermarket refrigerated isles is UHT (Ultra Heat Treated). UHT milk doesn't need to be stored in a refrigerator, in fact that's the whole point. But, I guess, they [1] put it there so people will buy it thinking it's "fresh" (i.e. low-heat pasteurised and about a week old). The fact that so much of the milk sold in supermarkets is UHT -and so little is "fresh"- tells me that it basically works and people buy it. The interesting thing is that, if you ask Greeks whether they prefer "fresh" milk or UHT milk, the chances are they'll tell you they prefer "fresh" milk. There was a study at some point -sorry that I don't have a reference- that said I think that consumers around the EU, including Greeks, prefer "fresh" milk. Conclusion: at least Greeks drink UHT milk and have no idea it's UHT. ... even though it tastes distinctly unlike fresh milk. They're probably used to the taste and think that's what fresh milk tastes like. And don't let me get started on how most "fresh" milk doesn't taste of anything... ____________ [1] "They" is the dairy industry that ask for it - and the supermarkets that don't care and comply.
- YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago
  It seems this is more common in the US than in Europe, for now: The meat has been cured with nitrites extracted from vegetables, a practice not permitted by the European Commission because of evidence that it increases the risk of bowel cancer. But it is allowed in the US, where the product is often labelled as “all natural”. The powerful US meat industry is likely to insist that the export of nitrite-cured meat is a condition of a post-Brexit UK-US trade deal, which the UK government is under intense pressure to deliver. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/14/uk-us-brexit-trade-deal-could-fill-supermarkets-with-cancer-risk-bacon https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/14/uk-us-brexit-t...
eloff 6y ago
Most, maybe all, of those options (at least in Canada where I live) also use nitrates, just from e.g. Celery extract. So you also have to know about that trick and look for it.
m-ee 6y ago
Be careful, a lot of the “uncured” or “no added nitrites” have fine print that say “except those found in celery salt”, which is a natural source of nitrites
xcskier56 6y ago
Read the packaging closer. Most of the "uncured" meats use concentrated celery salt which is a strong source of nitrates. They do this so that they can still "cure" the meat, just "naturally". At the end of the day, if the package says "uncured" but the back says made with celery salt, its just marketing
ip26 6y ago
One source I learned about recently is sandwich meats like packaged deli turkey & chicken. I should have known better, but I didn't realize they are cured just like salami, bacon, etc.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

kevinmchugh 6y ago

Note that lots of those products say "no added nitrites or nitrates except those naturally occurring" in other ingredients. And then one of the ingredients is celery powder, which is only added for its nitrates. It's awfully misleading packaging. If you're eating bacon and it tastes like bacon, it's cured.

lol768 6y ago
> If you're eating bacon and it tastes like bacon, it's cured. In Northern Ireland there's a producer (Finnebrogue) which sells nitrite-free bacon (no, it doesn't contain celery - "adding nitrites from vegetable extracts for a technological function and/or as a preservative, is banned by the European Union") . It's pretty decent, tastes like bacon. > The range replaces the nitrites commonly used to cure bacon and give them their recognisable colour with a Mediterranean fruit and spice extract it claims matches the shelf life of traditionally produced bacon and ham. They seem to be mostly useless at preventing Botlusim anyway: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/mar/23/nitrites-ham-bacon-cancer-risk-additives-meat-industry-confidential--report https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/mar/23/nitrites-ham-ba...
- YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago
  >> It's pretty decent, tastes like bacon. What I've found is that peoples' tastes develop according to what we usually eat, so "tastes like bacon" is different if you're used to eating meats cured with nitrites, than what it would be if you didn't. I've said this story before on HN: in Greece, where I'm currently at, about 80% of the milk in supermarket refrigerated isles is UHT (Ultra Heat Treated). UHT milk doesn't need to be stored in a refrigerator, in fact that's the whole point. But, I guess, they [1] put it there so people will buy it thinking it's "fresh" (i.e. low-heat pasteurised and about a week old). The fact that so much of the milk sold in supermarkets is UHT -and so little is "fresh"- tells me that it basically works and people buy it. The interesting thing is that, if you ask Greeks whether they prefer "fresh" milk or UHT milk, the chances are they'll tell you they prefer "fresh" milk. There was a study at some point -sorry that I don't have a reference- that said I think that consumers around the EU, including Greeks, prefer "fresh" milk. Conclusion: at least Greeks drink UHT milk and have no idea it's UHT. ... even though it tastes distinctly unlike fresh milk. They're probably used to the taste and think that's what fresh milk tastes like. And don't let me get started on how most "fresh" milk doesn't taste of anything... ____________ [1] "They" is the dairy industry that ask for it - and the supermarkets that don't care and comply.
YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago
It seems this is more common in the US than in Europe, for now: The meat has been cured with nitrites extracted from vegetables, a practice not permitted by the European Commission because of evidence that it increases the risk of bowel cancer. But it is allowed in the US, where the product is often labelled as “all natural”. The powerful US meat industry is likely to insist that the export of nitrite-cured meat is a condition of a post-Brexit UK-US trade deal, which the UK government is under intense pressure to deliver. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/14/uk-us-brexit-trade-deal-could-fill-supermarkets-with-cancer-risk-bacon https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/14/uk-us-brexit-t...

eloff 6y ago

Most, maybe all, of those options (at least in Canada where I live) also use nitrates, just from e.g. Celery extract. So you also have to know about that trick and look for it.

m-ee 6y ago

Be careful, a lot of the “uncured” or “no added nitrites” have fine print that say “except those found in celery salt”, which is a natural source of nitrites

xcskier56 6y ago

Read the packaging closer. Most of the "uncured" meats use concentrated celery salt which is a strong source of nitrates. They do this so that they can still "cure" the meat, just "naturally". At the end of the day, if the package says "uncured" but the back says made with celery salt, its just marketing

ip26 6y ago

One source I learned about recently is sandwich meats like packaged deli turkey & chicken. I should have known better, but I didn't realize they are cured just like salami, bacon, etc.