Sodium Nitrate
Decode Label flags Sodium Nitrate as a high concern in food and drink (carcinogen). It appears in 9 of the 893 published products we have analysed (1%).
The concern
Preservative — converts to nitrite; probable carcinogen
Sodium nitrate converts to sodium nitrite in the body, which can then form carcinogenic nitrosamines. Found in cured and smoked meats. Regular consumption of high-nitrate processed foods is linked to increased colorectal cancer risk.
Most relevant to
How common it is in this catalogue
Measured across every product Decode Label has analysed — not estimated, and not taken from anyone else's dataset.
By category
Hazard classification
The classification is for ingested nitrate under conditions that result in endogenous nitrosation, not for the salt in isolation.
The classification is for ingested nitrate under conditions that result in endogenous nitrosation, not for the salt in isolation.
Identity
- Canonical name
- Sodium nitrate
- CAS number
- 7631-99-4
- E number
- E251
- INS number
- 251
Also appears on labels as
Questions
Is Sodium Nitrate safe?
EU: IARC Group 2A (ingested, under conditions of endogenous nitrosation). Why it is flagged: Preservative — converts to nitrite; probable carcinogen. Decode Label treats it as a high concern in food and drink. It appears in 9 of the 893 published products we have analysed (1%).
How common is Sodium Nitrate in Indian packaged products?
Decode Label found Sodium Nitrate in 9 of 893 published products (1%), most often in Oral Care.
Which authorities have classified Sodium Nitrate?
EU — IARC Group 2A (ingested, under conditions of endogenous nitrosation).
Who should be most careful with Sodium Nitrate?
Anyone eating this regularly; Children; People who are pregnant.
Products containing Sodium Nitrate
9 published products, each with its own full analysis.
Related ingredients
Other entries in the register with the same kind of concern.
Method and limits
- Prevalence counts published products whose decoded ingredient list matches this substance or one of its label synonyms, using the same matching the score itself uses. It describes our catalogue of 893 products, not the Indian market as a whole.
- Presence is not dose. An ingredient list gives order, not quantity, unless the pack declares a percentage. Nothing here estimates how much of this substance any product contains.
- A classification is not a verdict on a product. An agency classifies a substance under defined conditions of exposure; whether that matters in a given food or cosmetic depends on route, concentration and use.
- No regulatory rows. This substance is not matched in our regulatory warehouse, so the concern above rests on the cited authority alone.
- Last updated. This register entry was last changed on 28 September 2026.
- Corrections. Every figure here is reproducible from the sources named. If something is wrong, tell us and we will correct it and say what changed.