Niman Ranch offers both cured and uncured meat products. Whats the difference?
Cured products contain sodium nitrite and/or sodium nitrate, which are used to cure and preserve meat. Nitrates occur naturally in many foods; in fact, you might be surprised to discover that nitrates occur naturally in all plants. The amount of nitrates and nitrites you ingest when eating cured products is negligible and does not pose any health risk. Some consumers prefer cured meats, while others prefer to avoid sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, so Niman Ranch offers both alternatives in our product line. The idea to cure meat began with a need to keep meat from spoiling. Salt, and saltpeter, the natural form of potassium nitrate, have been used as preservatives for centuries. During modern times, pink salt has become the preferred medium for curing and preserving meats, because it contains a standardized amount of sodium nitrite and is easy to control in processing. Use of nitrites and nitrates in the production of cured meats is now carefully regulated, with concentration not to
