Wright® Brand Natural Applewood Smoked Bacon Slices balance sweet and smoky flavors for your buffet or center-of-plate entrée. Easy to cook bacon slices that go well with scrambled eggs, hash browns, or sweet breakfast pastries. They’ll make your brunch buffet or takeout menu complete.
Bacon lovers rejoice in the smoky, salty deliciousness of a crispy strip of bacon. But many health-conscious consumers look to avoid nitrates and nitrites used to cure most bacon. This leaves some wondering – does Wright bacon have nitrates?
The short answer is yes. Traditional Wright bacon does contain sodium nitrite a controversial curing agent. However Wright also offers a line of no-nitrate bacons that rely on natural sources of nitrates instead. Understanding the difference in curing methods helps clear up the confusion over nitrates in Wright bacon.
Regular Wright Bacon Contains Added Nitrates
The original Wright Brand bacon including the popular Wright Brand Applewood Smoked Bacon is traditionally cured using sodium nitrite. This synthetic nitrate gives Wright bacon its distinctive pink color and smoked flavor.
According to Wright Brand’s website, their traditional bacon contains just three ingredients – pork, water, and salt. However, the fine print states “curred with water, salt, sugar, sodium phosphate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite.”
This means traditional Wright bacon is cured using added nitrates rather than natural nitrate alternatives. Many studies link consumption of processed meats with added nitrites to increased risk of colon cancer and other health issues. This is why health experts recommend limiting intake of products like regular Wright bacon containing added sodium nitrite.
Wright Also Offers No-Nitrate Bacon Options
In response to growing consumer demand for no-nitrate bacons, Wright now produces a line of bacons cured using natural sources of nitrates like celery powder. These no-nitrate options include:
- Wright Natural Smokehouse Bacon
- Wright Natural Applewood Smoked Bacon
- Wright Natural Peppered Bacon
Rather than sodium nitrite, these bacons are cured using celery juice or celery juice powder. Celery naturally contains nitrate, which converts to nitrite during curing to achieve the same preservation and flavor effects without man-made nitrates.
No-nitrate bacon from Wright provides the same smoky bacon taste consumers love without controversial added nitrites. Those looking to avoid processed meats may find Wright’s natural bacon line a better choice.
The Difference Between Nitrates and Nitrites
With all this talk of nitrates and nitrites, it helps to understand the difference between the two:
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Nitrates – Naturally occurring compounds found in vegetables like celery, beets, spinach. Also used in synthetic form as curing agents.
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Nitrites – Convert from nitrates during curing process. Responsible for typical bacon characteristics like pink color and smoked flavor. Also used in synthetic form.
Nitrates naturally present in vegetables convert into nitrites through curing. Synthetic sodium nitrate works the same way. Nitrites are more reactive than nitrates, which is why processed meats with added nitrites pose health risks.
No-nitrate bacon starts with natural nitrates from vegetable powders, avoiding potentially harmful man-made nitrites.
Health Concerns Over Processed Meat and Nitrites
Studies by the World Health Organization, American Institute for Cancer Research, and others have found associations between consuming processed meats with added nitrites and:
- Increased colon cancer risk
- Higher rates of heart disease and stroke
- Greater risk of type 2 diabetes
These health authorities recommend limiting intake of processed red meats with added sodium nitrite due to potential cancer links.
The nitrites used to cure regular Wright bacon are considered more processed and potentially harmful than no-nitrate options. But not all experts agree strictly limiting bacon intake is necessary for good health.
Enjoying Bacon in Moderation
While the science on nitrates continues evolving, most experts agree:
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Processed meats with added nitrites like regular Wright bacon should be limited.
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No-nitrate bacons can be a healthier choice.
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Eating bacon in moderation as part of an overall healthy diet is unlikely to pose risks.
Rather than cutting out bacon completely, consumers can balance indulging in traditional bacon on occasion with trying healthier no-nitrate options like Wright’s natural bacon line. This allows enjoying the smoky bacon flavor without overdoing potentially harmful processed meats.
So while regular Wright bacon does contain controversial added nitrates, their no-nitrate natural bacon provides a minimally-processed alternative for those looking to reduce intake of processed meats. Understanding the nitrate debate helps consumers make informed choices balancing bacon enjoyment with health.
More about this item
Wright® Brand Natural Applewood Smoked Bacon Slices are made from fresh pork bellies that have been hand-selected and hand-trimmed. They are then naturally wood-smoked over real applewood chips to give them a sweet and smoky flavor you can count on. Bacon is slow-smoked, allowing the light, fruity, and slightly sweet aroma to absorb deep into the meat. Wright® Brand Natural Applewood Bacon Slices give your customers the taste and quality they want while cutting down on work and prep time. Choose from multiple flavors, thickness, and packaging options. And enjoy precise thickness from slice to slice for consistency across the menu.
- It is naturally smoked with real applewood chips to give it a smoky, sweet flavor that is always consistent and great.
- Fresh, never-frozen pork bellies that are trimmed by hand provide consistent quality, texture, and appearance without any extra work.
- When you store bulk sliced slab, it takes up less space and costs less.
- Gas-flushed inner bags give food the best shelf life in the fridge and let you use them right away.
- Sliced per pound lets you choose the thickness based on your needs, so you can use the same product for more than one menu item.
- With up to 4 hours of hold time, you can get ready ahead of time instead of right then.
Cured with water, salt, sugar, sodium phosphate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite.
Tasting Expert Reviews Artisanal Bacon
Does Bacon have nitrite?
Unfortunately, bacon cured with salt and celery juice will react with saliva to form nitrite, which in turn becomes harmful nitrosamines. In fact, WebMD states that bacon packages labeled “nitrite-free” were tested to have more than double the amount of nitrates as regular bacon.
Is Bacon nitrate free?
Bacon is cured with sodium nitrate and nitrite, but some bacon manufacturers produce nitrate-free varieties which are cured with celery juice powder or sea salt, instead. Nitrate-free bacon still contains organic nitrates and might not be any healthier than regular bacon.
Should you use nitrates in your bacon?
She also suggests looking for center-cut bacon when possible since it naturally has less fat. Nitrates aren’t the only important ingredient on the label. “Many bacon recipes include sugary rubs or sodium-laden seasonings,” says Fernando. “Check the label for options lower in sodium and sugar.”
Does Applegate Bacon have nitrate?
And the Applegate Farms Uncured Sunday Bacon averaged more than three times the level of the regular bacon: 35 ppm nitrite (and nearly as much nitrate, at 44.3 ppm). The bottom line: All bacon is likely to contain nitrite and nitrate, whether added at the outset or formed naturally during processing.
Are bacon nitrates bad for You?
The dangers of processed meats like bacon come from added nitrates found in very high concentrations. Nitrates, as an additive and preservative, provide a lot of utility because they preserve vibrant colors in many processed meats and extend the expiration date of foods. They can, however, also introduce some health risks.
Does farmland hickory smoked bacon have nitrate?
When we fried up strips of our favorite supermarket bacon, Farmland Hickory Smoked, along with Farmland All-Natural Uncured Bacon (“no nitrate or nitrite added”), tasters found the samples virtually identical in taste and texture. To quantify the nitrite and nitrate levels in these bacons, we sent three packages of each type to a lab for testing.