Does Oscar Mayer Bacon Have Nitrites? Yes, and So Does Hormel

Oscar Mayer Naturally Hardwood Smoked Bacon and Hormel Black Label Original Bacon both list sodium nitrite in their ingredient statements, and neither lists sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate. At roughly 19 g cooked, the Oscar Mayer panel shows 90 calories and 350 mg of sodium, while the Hormel panel shows 100 calories and 370 mg. The sections below set the cure ingredients, USDA rules, and "uncured" wording side by side.

Key takeaways

• Both ingredient statements list sodium nitrite. Neither lists sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate.
• At about 19 g cooked, Oscar Mayer lists 90 calories, 350 mg sodium, and 7 g protein. Hormel lists 100 calories, 370 mg sodium, and 6 g protein.
• The cure accelerators differ: sodium ascorbate (Oscar Mayer) and sodium erythorbate (Hormel). Oscar Mayer also lists sodium phosphate, and Hormel lists dextrose.
• USDA rules set ingoing sodium nitrite for pumped and massaged bacon at 120 ppm (9 CFR 424.22). Under 9 CFR 317.17, "Uncured" labeling applies to bacon made without nitrate or nitrite, and both ingredient statements here list sodium nitrite.

Oscar Mayer vs Hormel Black Label at a Glance: Ingredients and Nutrition Side by Side

The table uses the ingredient statements and Nutrition Facts panels on the Oscar Mayer product page and the Hormel Black Label product page for a serving of about 19 g. Hormel's page shows several panels for different package sizes, so the 19 g panel is the one used here.

Item	Oscar Mayer Naturally Hardwood Smoked Bacon Original	Hormel Black Label Original Bacon
Cure statement	Cured with water, salt, sugar, sodium phosphate, sodium ascorbate, sodium nitrite	Cured with water, salt, sugar, dextrose, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite
Sodium nitrite listed	Yes	Yes
Sodium or potassium nitrate listed	No	No
Serving used	2 skillet cooked slices (19 g)	19 g panel
Calories	90	100
Total fat	7 g (9% DV)	8 g (10% DV)
Saturated fat	2.5 g (12% DV)	3 g (15% DV)
Cholesterol	20 mg (7% DV)	25 mg (8% DV)
Sodium	350 mg (15% DV)	370 mg (16% DV)
Carbohydrate	0 g	0 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Protein	7 g	6 g

Hormel's page does not state which panel matches which package size. Oscar Mayer's page describes a 12 oz package among listed sizes of 8 to 48 oz, and its exact slice count per package is not disclosed.

Does Oscar Mayer Naturally Hardwood Smoked Bacon Have Nitrates or Nitrites?

Yes. Oscar Mayer's ingredient statement reads "Cured with water, salt, sugar, sodium phosphate, sodium ascorbate, sodium nitrite," so it lists sodium nitrite, and no sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate is listed.

The USDA curing-agent table in 9 CFR 424.21 lists sodium or potassium nitrate as a nitrite source for cured meat products other than bacon, which is a separate category from the bacon rules covered below.

Residual nitrite in the finished slice is not disclosed. An ingredient statement shows what goes into the cure, not how much nitrite remains after processing and cooking.

Does Hormel Black Label Original Bacon Have Nitrites or Nitrates?

Yes. Hormel's ingredient statement lists sodium nitrite, and no sodium or potassium nitrate is listed. Its 19 g panel lists 100 calories and 370 mg of sodium (16% DV). The full statement reads "Cured With Water, Salt, Sugar, Dextrose, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite." The brand page describes the bacon as naturally hardwood smoked and made from fresh, never frozen, hand-trimmed bellies.

Other panels on the page list different figures. A 20 g serving lists 460 mg (20% DV), and a panel labeled "2 Pan Fried Slices," with about 24 servings per container, lists 370 mg (16% DV). The page does not say which panel matches which package, so the figure for a specific package is the one on that package's own panel. Residual nitrite is not disclosed here either.

Cure Ingredients Compared: Sodium Ascorbate vs Sodium Erythorbate, Phosphate vs Dextrose

The two labels use different cure accelerators. Oscar Mayer lists sodium ascorbate, and Hormel lists sodium erythorbate. USDA rules for pumped and massaged bacon specify sodium nitrite at 120 ppm ingoing, or 148 ppm potassium nitrite, together with 550 ppm sodium ascorbate or sodium erythorbate.

The other ingredients differ as well. Oscar Mayer adds sodium phosphate, and the panel does not explain its role in this product. Hormel adds dextrose, a sugar. Both ingredient statements include sugar, yet both nutrition panels show 0 g added sugar per serving. The panel does not explain how that figure is reached, so read the ingredient list and the panel together.

Which Bacon Has Less Sodium: Oscar Mayer or Hormel at the Same Serving Size?

At the roughly 19 g cooked-slice serving, Oscar Mayer lists 350 mg of sodium (15% DV) and Hormel lists 370 mg (16% DV), a difference of 20 mg per serving. Oscar Mayer's panel is labeled by 2 skillet cooked slices, while Hormel's 19 g panel is labeled by weight.

FDA's Sodium in Your Diet page describes 20% DV or more of sodium per serving as high and 5% DV or less as low, based on a Daily Value of less than 2,300 mg per day. At 19 g, Oscar Mayer's 15% DV and Hormel's 16% DV both fall between the FDA's 5% and 20% markers. Hormel's 20 g panel lists 460 mg (20% DV), which meets the 20% marker.

What Does "Uncured" Bacon Mean, and Can Either Brand Use That Wording?

Under 9 CFR 317.17, bacon made without nitrate or nitrite must be labeled "Uncured" before the product name and carry "No Nitrate or Nitrite Added." Unless otherwise processed, it must also carry "Not Preserved - Keep Refrigerated Below 40 °F. At All Times." The labeling terms here are taken from the eCFR text of that section.

Both ingredient statements list sodium nitrite, so neither product is bacon made without nitrate or nitrite, and neither brand page shows an "Uncured" or "No Nitrate or Nitrite Added" line.

What Do the USDA Nitrite Limits Say About Each Label?

Under 9 CFR 424.22, sodium nitrite for pumped and massaged bacon shall be used at 120 ppm ingoing. Neither brand discloses the ppm it uses, so the labels cannot show where either product compares with that level.

USDA limits govern how much nitrite is added, not how much remains in the finished slice.

No product-level nitrosamine or residual nitrite figures are included because none were disclosed for either brand.

How to Read Bacon Labels for Nitrites, Nitrates, Sodium, and Cure Terms

Use this checklist on any bacon package:

• Read the ingredient statement for sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, and potassium nitrate.
• Note the cure accelerator, such as sodium ascorbate or sodium erythorbate.
• Look for "Uncured" before the product name, "No Nitrate or Nitrite Added," and the refrigeration statement.
• Match the Nutrition Facts serving size to the portion you plan to eat.
• Check sodium as %DV, using the FDA's 5% low and 20% high markers.
• If a page shows several panels, confirm which one matches your package.
• Compare sugar in the ingredient list with added sugars on the panel.

For related label comparisons, see Oscar Mayer vs Hillshire Turkey: Nitrates? 530 vs 600 mg Sodium or Hebrew National vs Nathan's: Sodium 480 mg vs 400 mg.

Aurascan is a food-label scanner app for iPhone with a free tier. It explains each ingredient one by one with cited evidence instead of a single black-box score, pulls product data from Open Food Facts, USDA, and barcode databases, and gives per-ingredient verdicts of Clean, Mixed, or Flagged. These labels cannot show residual nitrite in a given slice, the ppm used in either product, or measured nitrosamine levels. To read the ingredient explanations for the package in your fridge, scan it yourself: Scan your next label with Aurascan