If I owned any livestock, feed would certainly be one of the first considerations that I would give thought to...along with breed. I also agree with growing fruits and vegetables with methods that are friendly to the environment. To me...this just makes good sense.
But there's a growing number of people who refuse to eat anything with nitrates in it. This is certainly their choice...but my gosh. You've got so many other avenues for nitrates (with some conversion) to enter your system is seems odd to address one method of entry (meats) and not many others.
I would certainly agree with the words...natural in, natural out. But one of the studies often mentioned when talking about nitrates are it's effects on infants <4months putting them at possible risk for toxicity (Methemoglobinemia). While many of the studies on adults seemed to be difficult to draw a direct conclusion, the study on infants seemed to be more accepted as a direct cause for toxicity. Yet the nitrate ingestion was from a natural form, contaminated water in the formula.
It seems as though most of our nitrate consumption gets excreted through our urine. Others are excreted through saliva, though some is supposed to be consumed again. There is also amounts that normally get converted from nitrates to nitrites in our body's. I know that your better off safe, than sorry. But nitrates can get converted to nitrites which can be converted to nitrosamine by natural methods.
There are people looking for nitrate-free pancetta and
bacon. Is
bacon or pancetta even
bacon or pancetta if they haven't been cured? If you don't want to take a chance consuming harmful nitrates in
bacon then simply eat some cooked pork belly. If your going to ignore all the large sources of nitrates, like many vegetables and water. Then you certainly can't ignore other known sources for nitrosamine like beer, can you? They say that nitrosamine intake has been reduced from 1 micorggram per/day to 0.1 microgram per/day by using better curing processes.
I'm sure I'm butchering the science here...but are a few slices of
bacon, or pancetta in your sauce really going to have a significant effect when we're consuming nitrates elsewhere?
go
bacon!
dan