Additive
Sodium nitrate
Curing agent in processed meats; converts to nitrite.
Moderate concern · Limited evidence
Converts to nitrite in cured meat and the body; linked to colorectal cancer.
Consider limiting, or compare alternatives.
Reviewed Oct 2, 2026
Evidence and sources
Added nitrate is converted to nitrite, which can form N-nitroso compounds. IARC classifies ingested nitrate under conditions that lead to these compounds as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A). In 2022 France's food safety agency confirmed a link between nitrite and nitrate exposure and colorectal cancer.
Nitrate from vegetables hasn't shown the same link. A 2026 French cohort study linked potassium nitrate additives to breast and overall cancer, but observational studies can't prove cause. The amount here isn't declared.
Limited evidence · Presence only; amount unknown · General population
- IARC Monographs Volume 94: Ingested nitrate and nitrite (Group 2A under conditions that result in endogenous nitrosation), International Agency for Research on Cancer
- Reducing dietary exposure to nitrites and nitrates, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES)
- Intake of food additive preservatives and incidence of cancer: results from the NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort, The BMJ (Hasenböhler et al.)
- Nitrites and nitrates from food additives and natural sources and cancer risk: results from the NutriNet-Santé cohort, International Journal of Epidemiology (Chazelas et al.)
- Re-evaluation of sodium nitrate (E 251) and potassium nitrate (E 252) as food additives, European Food Safety Authority