Sodium Nitrite
PlainFoodSafe flags Sodium Nitrite as a preservative concern. CSPI Chemical Cuisine rates it “Avoid.” It appears in 9,577 indexed US food products.
Source-backed answer
Sodium Nitrite appears in 9,577 catalogued products. CSPI rates it “Avoid.” Its FDA SAFFA status is “Prior Sanctioned.” Those source labels describe the ingredient; they do not establish whether a particular product, dose, allergy, or diet is safe.
- 9,577
- catalogued products
- #116
- usage rank of 293,342
- 1,836
- named brands represented
- 83%
- average depth down ingredient lists
Catalog prevalence comes from Open Food Facts ingredient lists. FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine labels are shown only when the source record contains them.
1/5 from FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine
Where Sodium Nitrite sits among catalogued ingredients
- Usage rank
- #116
- of 293,342 ingredients that appear in at least one catalogued product.
- Typical depth in an ingredient list
- 83%
- Of the way down the list, averaged across the 9,577 products listing it (mean slot 18.6). Ingredient lists run in descending order by weight, so Sodium Nitrite usually falls near the end of the list, so it is typically present in small or trace amounts.
Derived by this site from the ingredient lists of every catalogued product (Open Food Facts), recomputed on each data refresh. 293,342 ingredients have at least one appearance and are ranked here. Usage and list position describe prevalence, not safety.
How common is Sodium Nitrite vs other flagged additives?
Number of indexed products containing each of the most common flagged additives - Sodium Nitrite highlighted.
How to use this page
Audit the co-occurring flags first
100% of the linked products contain at least one separately flagged ingredient, making co-occurrence the dominant follow-up question. That figure does not identify Sodium Nitrite as the trigger. Open records such as 1 slice hard salami 2 slices mild cheddar cheese; 1/2 Cheese Pizza & 1/2 Pepperoni Pizza; 1/4 Pound Beef Franks and inspect which ingredient row carries the caution marker. The 77.9/100 product average is therefore a triage signal for this surrounding formulation set, not an ingredient verdict. Its 83% average label depth helps locate the term when checking the package.
Processing is unusually concentrated here: Group 4 accounts for 8448 of 9416 NOVA-tagged records. That describes the surrounding products, not the substance. For a useful comparison, hold category and processing level constant, then inspect which named component changes alongside the caution flag; otherwise the product mix will confound the ingredient question.
Next check: open the lowest-scoring linked formulation and locate the exact caution-marked component.
Function
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROPELLANT
Safety Concerns
preservative_concern
Safety Profile at a Glance
| Source | Classification | Year |
|---|---|---|
| FDA SAFFA | Prior Sanctioned | 2024 |
| CSPI Chemical Cuisine | Avoid | 2024 |
| PlainFoodSafe Score | 1/5 | 2026 |
| Product footprint | 9,577 products | OpenFoodFacts |
FDA SAFFA database, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings, OpenFoodFacts product index. See methodology.
Products Containing Sodium Nitrite
A sample of 16 of the 9,577 indexed products containing Sodium Nitrite, with each product's overall safety score.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sodium Nitrite safe to eat? ▼
Sodium Nitrite has a PlainFoodSafe ingredient-screening score of 1/5. CSPI rates it "Avoid." FDA SAFFA status: Prior Sanctioned. These labels are not a product-, dose-, allergy-, or person-specific safety determination.
What products contain Sodium Nitrite? ▼
Sodium Nitrite is found in 9,577 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.
What does Sodium Nitrite do in food? ▼
Sodium Nitrite is used as a antimicrobial agent, antioxidant, color or coloring adjunct, flavor enhancer, flavoring agent or adjuvant, propellant in food products.
Citation notes
Regulatory status from FDA SAFFA; safety ratings from CSPI Chemical Cuisine; product presence from Open Food Facts. See our methodology. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe.Every figure on PlainFoodSafe is rendered directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no number is typed in by an editor. Ingredient figures are computed directly from OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, and CSPI Chemical Cuisine data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.