[toolz]

I don't see anything on that site that says anything other than nitrates weren't added. Where are you seeing that it's actually nitrate free?

[malnourish]

Under "Dietary information" at the bottom of the page, it says "Nitrite-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free,[sic]"

[toolz]

I wouldn't be surprised if that's misleading considering the other article was suggesting nitrite precursors are usually what's in the food later to be turned into nitrite, but I'd love to be wrong.

You could simply measure the levels of nitrite before any exists and the end product might still have just as much.

[maxerickson]

The one article is talking about celery juice being stealth nitrates. It's not something that is in the pork itself.

The only candidate would be natural flavors, and I sort of doubt that they would get away with that.

[hedora]

In the US, they are required by law to write nitrate free if they add celery salt, which is 100% nitrates.

That site lists “natural flavors” as an ingredient. I wonder if celery salt counts as a natural flavor in the UK.

This UK producer:

https://www.primalcut.co.uk/post/nitrate-free-bacon-bringing...

Contains the weasel words I pasted in below, which are verbatim what the US producers that use celery salt claim. Also, they don’t list the natural flavors. I’d bet they’re using celery salt, but that UK labeling laws don’t make them break it out as a separate ingredient:

> Primal Cut free-from naked bacon contains only fresh organic fruit sugars and nitrates present in the natural raw organic seasonings.