Eating cured meats without nitrites and nitrates is not only the new food fashion, but also a more conscious approach to food without neglecting taste. The phenomenon – born about two years ago in France with a national awareness campaign on ‘potentially carcinogenic’ preservatives used in the industry – has encouraged the spread of nitrite-and-nitrate-free products.
The European Food Safety Authority also intervened to reassure consumers, playing down the issue. In the meantime, however, also thanks to the international success of Guillaume Coudray’s book “Who Poisoned Your Bacon Sandwich?: The Dangerous History of Meat Additives”, the fashion of eating nitrite-free cured meats has spread throughout Europe.
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HEALTHY: A GROWING TREND IN ITALY
In Italy, dedicated lines have become popular in recent years. From Rovagnati‘s ‘Naturals’ – which includes raw and cooked ham, mortadella and salami – to Fiorucci‘s ‘Naturissimo’ cooked ham. Historical nitrite-and-nitrate-free products are the long seasoned raw hams such as Prosciutto di Parma PDO and Prosciutto di San Daniele PDO, as well as some excellent Coop retail chain’s private label products: ‘Origine’ aged raw ham, and ‘Fior Fiore’ culatello and culatta lines. As for organic cured meats, the maximum limit of nitrites and nitrates allowed is one third of that allowed in conventional ones.
