NEW YORK (AP) – Backyard cooks looking to grill this summer have another option: hot dogs without “added nitrites.”
Are they any healthier?
Oscar Mayer is touting its new hot dog recipe that uses nitrite derived from celery juice instead of artificial sodium nitrite, which is used to preserve the pinkish colors of processed meats and prevents botulism. Kraft Heinz, which owns Oscar Mayer, says sodium nitrite is among the artificial ingredients it has removed from the product to reflect changing consumer preferences. The change comes amid a broader trend of big food makers purging ingredients that people may feel are not natural.
But nitrites are nitrites – and the change makes little difference – according to those who advise limiting processed meat and those who defend it.
Kana Wu, a research scientist at Harvard’s school of public health, said in an email that it is best to think of processed meat made with natural ingredients the same as those made with artificial nitrites.