Reply #50: I thought that the reason it wasn't banned was because sodium nitrate

[WiseButAngrySara]

was a preservative, not a 'color fixer'! This is bordering on criminal, if it's just for the appearance of the meat! One could argue that it is necessary as an additive because people could ingest spoiled and contaminated meat, resulting in immediate illness and or death, which might seem more worrisome than waiting 20 years for the possible development of colon cancer. But to knowingly add sodium nitrate to just make food more appealing... criminal, no?