What is Cultured Celery Extract, Really?

As you shop the aisles at the grocery store looking for a nitrite-free lunch meat for your kids, you may be tempted by ones that say "ALL NATURAL: NITRITE FREE". For example, the Natural Selections Ham. It claims to be nitrite-free, but is it really? Read on to find out.

You probably have wondered, time to time, what is cultured celery extract? On the ham there's natural ingredients--water, sea salt, vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, smoke flavor, cane sugar and guess what--cultured celery extract. The label boasts 'No Preservatives Added.'

Turns out, cultured celery extract=nitrites.

That's right! Cultured celery extract is just a fancy schmancy way of saying nitrites. Who would've thought?

So, always look on the labels for lunch meat, and look out for the words 'cultured celery extract' and 'nitrites.'

~V