Meat, cheese samples pass food tests

December 06, 2013

All 550 meat, meat products and cheese samples tested to asses the use of nitrate and nitrite preservatives have passed, the Centre for Food Safety announced today.
 
The centre collected the samples at supermarkets, grocery stores, restaurants and market stalls between August and November.
 
They comprised 60 samples of fresh, chilled and frozen meat, 440 samples of meat products such as bacon and ham, and about 50 cheese samples. All results were satisfactory.
 
The centre said nitrate and nitrite cannot be added to fresh, chilled or frozen meat. However, their use in cured meat and cheese is allowed, provided that the legal requirements are complied with and the levels concerned do not exceed the relevant legal limits.