ADDITIVE · SYNTHETIC
Sodium Nitrite (for color retention)
PETLYTIC SCORE
High Concern
80/100 risk index
Sodium Nitrite (for color retention) appears in the ingredient lists of thousands of pet foods. Here's what the regulatory record, toxicology data, and veterinary nutrition research actually say about it — not the marketing copy on the bag.
FDA PET STATUS
Not evaluated
FDA HUMAN STATUS
Not evaluated
EFSA STATUS
Not evaluated
NTP CARCINOGEN
Not listed
What Sodium Nitrite (for color retention) actually is
Sodium Nitrite (for color retention) is a additive commonly found in commercial pet food. It is sourced from synthetic origins and is classified as avoid quality by Chowmark's scoring rubric.
Why it's still in pet food when human food has moved on
Two reasons: cost and regulatory inertia. Pet food regulation lags human food regulation by decades. Premium brands have largely moved away from it. The cheap ones still use it.
WHICH BRANDS STILL USE SODIUM NITRITE (FOR COLOR RETENTION)
We checked every brand in our database. Here's the partial list — the products with the highest sales volume that still include this ingredient.
| BRAND | PRODUCT | CATEGORY | RECALLS (5YR) | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cesar | Filet n Chicken 6ct | wet dog | 0 | 40 |
| Pedigree | Chicken n Filet Mignon 8ct | wet dog | 1 | 36 |
| Pedigree | Chicken n Beef Pouch 8ct | wet dog | 1 | 36 |
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