A somewhat unusual aspect to "cured" natural and organic processed meats is that nitrate and nitrite cannot be added as ingredients, because "preservatives" are not permitted in natural and organic foods. This has resulted in alternative meat-curing processes that utilize natural sources of nitrate, typically celery juice concentrate or powder.
Because the alternative curing process typically results in less ingoing nitrite in these products, and the exclusion of other preservatives from natural and organic processed meats, there has been concern that these products could result in increased pathogen and spoilage bacterial growth.