You're linking the wrong thing. The actual additive is sodium nitrite, not sodium nitrate. The article makes this clear. The industrial process for producing n

You're linking the wrong thing. The actual additive is sodium nitrite, not sodium nitrate. The article makes this clear. The industrial process for producing nitrites commonly derive them from sodium nitrate, yes. But deriving food-grade compounds from substances that would be toxic on their own is a common chemical practice, and is not, on its own, remarkable. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_nitrite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_nitrite