Skip to content
In The Kibble
My dogs

Ingredient file // Preservative

Sodium Nitrite

A tiny curing additive whose dose matters

Sodium nitrite is a manufactured curing salt used in some canned meat and fish pet foods. It helps preserve the food and hold cured meat color, but contributes no meaningful nutrition to the dog. The amount added matters.

What it is
A manufactured salt used in canned meat or fish pet food for preservation and color.
Made from
Nitrogen oxides and sodium hydroxide
Main job
Preservation and meat color
Typical amount
Not published
Watch for
Food containing too much nitrite
Not the same as
Sodium nitrate

Our read // In our catalog

In 1 of every 76 foods we track

Share of foods that list it

1%

34 of the 2,595 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 3 brands. All wet dog food.

Each square is 1% of the catalog

Where it sits on the label

Median position 24. In the top five of 0 foods, so it is usually a minor ingredient.

Top five List position, heaviest first

Above the salt

0%

Usually listed after the salt, which caps it at roughly 1% of the recipe in 100% of foods.

Price per lb

Foods with it $5.08
All foods $3.23

Median of the cheapest bag price across 1 priced foods, 57% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.

Who leans on it

53%

of the foods that list it are from Cesar. 3 brands use it in total.

What it is

How it is made

Chemical manufacturers make sodium nitrite specifically for use as an additive and in other industries. It is not a meat-processing leftover. Nitrogen oxides react in a sodium hydroxide solution; removing the water leaves a dry salt.3,4

  1. 01 // Source Starting chemicals Nitrogen oxides and aqueous sodium hydroxide are the starting materials for an industrial production route.
  2. 02 // Process React in solution The gas mixture is dispersed into the sodium hydroxide solution, forming dissolved sodium nitrite.
  3. 03 // Process Evaporate and dry Water is evaporated from the solution, and the remaining solid is dried.
  4. 04 // Output Dry sodium nitrite The dry salt reaches pet food plants for measured use in eligible canned meat or fish recipes.

What is in it

Composition, dry matter

33.32

% sodium

About a third of the pure additive's weight is sodium. This does not reveal the sodium level in a finished can.

Sodium 33.3%7
Oxygen 46.4%7
Nitrogen 20.3%7

These percentages describe the dry chemical, not the finished food. The food additive specification requires at least 97% sodium nitrite after drying, so small amounts of other material can vary.5,7

Why it is in the bag

What the manufacturer gets

  1. 01

    Holds cured color

    Nitrite helps cured meat retain its pink color. That changes the food's appearance but supplies no nutritional benefit.3,4

  2. 02

    Adds preservative action

    Nitrite inhibits certain microbes in cured meat. Canned pet food still requires proper heat processing to make the sealed product safe.3,4,6

  3. 03

    Works in small doses

    Chemical plants produce this dry salt at industrial scale. Its low legal ceiling means a manufacturer needs little material for a batch of canned food.3,4

How much The US rule caps sodium nitrite at 20 parts per million in the specified canned pet foods; a typical amount is not published.4

Our read // The claims

What the evidence supports

Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.

  1. Brands say

    It keeps canned meat looking pink

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    The US rule allows color fixing at up to 20 parts per million, and a federal toxicology report describes pink cured meat. This supports an appearance claim, though neither source measures color in canned dog food.3,4

  2. Brands say

    It prevents botulism in canned dog food

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    Nitrite inhibits botulism bacteria in cured meat, but the pet food limit is 20 parts per million. The sources reviewed do not show that this amount prevents botulism by itself in dog food; proper heat processing remains required.3,4,6

  3. Critics say

    Nitrite in dog food causes cancer

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    An experimental dog stomach formed a nitrosamine under acidic conditions. A 2-year rodent study found equivocal cancer evidence only in female mice. Neither measured cancer in dogs eating pet food at the permitted dose.2,3,4

  4. Owners say

    Any amount of nitrite poisons dogs

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    A case report linked food containing a mean of 2,850 mg/kg total nitrite with illness in 2 of 4 exposed dogs. It shows danger at a high measured concentration, not poisoning from any amount.1

Straight answers

What owners ask

  1. Q01

    Is it just filler?

    No

    It has a specific job: preserving food and fixing cured meat color. The amount permitted is too small to add meaningful bulk or nutrition. Judge it as a dose-controlled additive.4,5

  2. Q02

    Is it regular salt?

    No

    Sodium nitrite is a different chemical from table salt. Its name on the ingredient list tells you it was added for curing effects, not how much sodium the finished food contains.5,7

  3. Q03

    Does it replace proper canning?

    No

    FDA requires a scheduled heat process for shelf-stable, low-acid canned animal food. Sodium nitrite is an added preservative; its presence does not replace the processing needed to make a sealed can safe.4,6

Who uses it

Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps

Top brands, by foods that list it

  1. Cesar 18
  2. Pedigree 12
  3. Iams 4

Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it

  1. Chicken 65%
  2. Water 62%
  3. Beef 56%
  4. Chicken Broth 53%
  5. Chicken Liver 53%
  6. Meat By-Products 44%
  7. Beef Lung 44%
  8. Chicken Heart 44%
  9. Pork By-Products 41%
  10. Sufficient Water For Processing 38%
  11. Sodium Tripolyphosphate 38%
  12. Calcium Carbonate 38%

Our read // On the bag

Read it as a dose-controlled additive

Sodium nitrite near the end of a canned meat or fish food's ingredient list fits its tiny permitted amount. Check the named meat and guaranteed analysis to judge the food's nutrition. The label tells you the additive is present, but it does not disclose the amount measured in that batch.

Sources

What we read

Checked October 1, 2026.

  1. 1 Nitrite poisoning in cats and dogs fed a commercial pet food New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 1997 // Journal
  2. 2 In vivo stability of nitrite and nitrosamine formation in the dog stomach: effect of nitrite and amine concentration and of ascorbic acid Carcinogenesis, abstract hosted by EPA HERO, 1982 // Journal
  3. 3 Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of Sodium Nitrite (CASRN 7632-00-0) in F344/N Rats and B6C3F1 Mice (Drinking Water Studies) National Toxicology Program, 2001 // Government
  4. 4 21 CFR 573.700 | Sodium nitrite eCFR.io, 2026 // Regulator
  5. 5 SODIUM NITRITE Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, 2004 // Regulator
  6. 6 How do I Start an Animal Food Business? U.S. Food and Drug Administration, n.d. // Government
  7. 7 Molecular weight of Sodium Nitrite ConvertUnits.com, n.d. // Database
An ingredient on its own tells you very little. What matters is how much of it there is and where it sits in the list. That is why we weigh the top five rather than reacting to any single name further down. Back to the wiki

Keep In The Know,
Know What's In The Bowl

The In the Kibble newsletter. Useful emails for dog owners: what we find inside dog food, how to feed well, and a heads-up when a food is recalled.
DOUBLE OPT-IN // ONE CLICK TO STOP // NEVER SHARED