But when health concerns about them surfaced in the 1960s, some manufacturers began processing meat without any nitrites. Synthetic nitrites have been used since the 1920s to speed up the curing process. 'It may also be that antioxidants or other compounds in vegetables prevent nitrites from becoming nitrosamines.'

'But there's little protein in vegetables, so their nitrites don't easily convert to nitrosamines,' says Michael Hansen, Ph.D., a senior scientist at CR.

The North American Meat Institute (NAMI), an industry group, says that most nitrites in our diets come from vegetables. Nitrates convert to nitrites, and when nitrites interact with protein, that creates compounds called nitrosamines-which may cause cancer. Nitrates and nitrites prevent bacterial growth and give deli meat its distinctive color and flavor. Here's what we found-and what you need to know about deli meat to stay safe and healthy. That's why CR looked not only at nitrate and nitrite levels but also at sodium, listeria, and a compound called 4-MEI, a potentially harmful byproduct of some caramel colors. To top it off, cold cuts are prone to contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a potentially deadly type of bacteria. Some contain coloring agents that may pose health risks. Nitrates and nitrites aren't the only problem with deli meats, either. And it didn't matter what type of meat it was-chicken, ham, roast beef, turkey, or salami. Products cured with nitrates and nitrites from natural sources had average levels of the chemicals that were similar to those cured with synthetic ones. To further confuse matters, 'their chemical composition is absolutely the same, and so are the health effects,' says Joseph Sebranek, Ph.D., Morrison Endowed Chair in meat science at Iowa State University.īut don't 'uncured' cold cuts at least have lower amounts of those compounds? Nope, according to CR's recent tests of 31 deli meats.

Hillshire farms black forest ham