The American Association of Meat Processor’s annual convention was so popular, even Abraham Lincoln turned up. The former president, or someone who looked very much like him, was on hand to cut the ribbon for this year’s convention in Springfield, Ill.
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.