Bacon on bread with knife

Recent weeks have seen renewed debate around the use of nitrites in cured meats, with claims and counterclaims circulating across the industry. Although the science and regulation behind this topic are complex, the core question is simple: when additives like nitrites are used, are they helping or harming?

The differing interpretations offered by the Food Standards Agency and the World Health Organization have added intensity to the discussion. Yet the existence of this debate points to a broader issue: our food system has become overly reliant on engineering solutions and artificial interventions.

Additives have taken centre stage, while the fundamental matter of ingredient quality has slipped into the background.

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A more constructive direction would be to ask why so many additives are needed at all. Recentring food production around fewer, higher-quality ingredients, reduced processing and traditional methods would naturally limit the need for such compounds and bring us closer to food that reflects its origins.

Shoppers are already moving this way. Many now look for ingredient lists they can fully understand, or apply the simple test of whether those ingredients would have been found in a traditional kitchen. Long, unfamiliar lists are increasingly viewed as a sign of ultra-processed food, and consumers are responding with their choices.

For producers, this is an opportunity to reset priorities. The drive to cut costs through preservatives, fillers and other artificial additions may offer short-term gains, but it diminishes trust and obscures what quality should mean. Authenticity, simplicity and real flavour are far more compelling and increasingly valued.

There will always be manufacturers who rely heavily on additives and nasties to meet margins. Yet as this continues, the contrast only grows clearer, giving genuinely high-quality products more space to stand out.

 

Tom Horvath Neumann is the founder of Properoni

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