What is Sodium Nitrate and Why We Do NOT Use It

Hello Jerky Nation!

We make our Beef Jerky from the best Austrian beef and strictly refuse to use any chemicals. But what chemicals are we even talking about here? In two short blog articles, we address the topic and explain what we do NOT want in our jerky.

The first villain of the food industry that we will briefly talk about today is called sodium nitrate.

Nitrates themselves are not dangerous. In the meat processing industry, sodium nitrate is usually used as an additive. Why? Simply put: meat retains its red color. This can even make old meat look good.

Why don’t we use it? Sodium nitrates are converted into nitrites in food as well as in the human body. Nitrites are proven to dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure. Higher doses of nitrites can lead to poisoning. But that’s not all, it gets worse.

Nitrite can be converted in the body into nitrosamines when consumed together with meat or milk protein. Nitrosamines are proven to be highly carcinogenic.

Conclusion: our meat may not be bright red, but Simple Jerky contains nothing that is proven to be carcinogenic. Therefore, we gladly avoid sodium nitrate!

Almost all jerky manufacturers, even "small" ones, use sodium nitrate as a "preservative." In my small online research, I found only one jerky in the German-speaking area that does not contain sodium nitrate. Consumers are often lured with phrases like "health-conscious nutrition," "healthy dried meat snack," and "Paleo diet."

How healthy is this jerky if carcinogenic substances are added that don’t have to be? Our production is more elaborate because we avoid certain additives. But for that, we can confidently call our jerky a natural snack and do not mislead anyone.