Broth, meat broth, and bone broth are meat products. That sounds logical, but it has major consequences for how you keep them safe. Meat and everything extracted from it is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, molds, and yeasts. That is why there is both European and Belgian legislation that determines how you may store and sell such products. We make our bone broth here in Belgium, so we fully fall under those rules. In this blog, we explain which methods are allowed, which we choose and why, and what to watch out for if you make broth yourself or buy it somewhere.
The three ways to keep a meat product safe
In practice, it comes down to three routes. For a liquid, protein-rich, and non-acidic product like broth, these are the options:
1. Keeping it refrigerated from start to finish. You cool the product quickly right after making it and then keep it continuously cold, also during storage and shipping. If you break that cold chain, bacteria still get their chance.
2. Sterilizing under pressure. You heat the filled product under pressure to well above one hundred degrees, monitor temperature and pressure, and use special jars and lids for this. This results in a product that is shelf-stable at room temperature, without refrigeration.
3. Adding preservatives (nitrites and nitrates). This is the chemical route mainly used in salted and cured meats, such as ham, bacon, and salami. It involves nitrites (E249 and E250) and nitrates (E251 and E252).
An important nuance applies to that third method. Nitrites and nitrates are almost never used in broth. They belong in brine and cured meats, and they do not make a liquid product shelf-stable at room temperature on their own. They work together with refrigeration, salt, or drying. We mention them here because it is the third allowed preservation method for meat products in general, but for broth, methods 1 and 2 are the real choices.
Why we choose sterilization under pressure
We use the second method. Our broth is packed warm in glass jars with aluminum lids and then sterilized under pressure. There are several reasons for this choice.
It is more ecological for us, and that is due to the entire chain leading to the customer. A sterilized product is shelf-stable at room temperature, so no refrigerator or freezer is needed during storage and transport. More importantly: we do not need to use special packaging materials. Those who ship chilled or frozen often have to use styrofoam, cooling elements, and insulated boxes that end up in the trash after one use. We avoid all of that.
There is also a practical and human advantage. A chilled package that arrives late, goes to the newsstand or a pickup point, or sits in the sun on the driveway for half a day, is immediately a problem. With a shelf-stable product, that is not a disaster. You also avoid the more expensive refrigerated trucks and the risks of a broken cold chain during delivery.
Glass jars and aluminum lids are also materials that are easy to recycle, and glass does not absorb flavors or substances.
You can recognize a practical feature of this method yourself. The lids are for single use and have a special sealing ring. During cooling, a vacuum is created, causing the lid to slightly bend inward. When you open such a jar for the first time, you hear a clear click or pop. That sound is proof that the vacuum was intact and the jar has never been opened unnoticed. If you don’t hear that click, do not use the product.
What are nitrites and nitrates, and why is the EU lowering the limit?
Nitrites and nitrates have been added to cured meats for decades. They serve three purposes: they inhibit dangerous bacteria (especially the botulism bacterium), preserve the red color of the meat, and provide the typical taste and aroma of aged products [1].
We do not support this approach, and there are good reasons for that. Nitrosamines can form from nitrites and nitrates, and some of these are carcinogenic. In 2023, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assessed exposure to nitrosamines as a real health risk [2]. Therefore, the European Commission has lowered the permitted amounts of nitrites and nitrates through Regulation (EU) 2023/2108, as part of the European cancer control plan. The new, lower limits will apply to meat and fish products from October 9, 2025, with longer transition periods for certain types of cheese [1].
Denmark was ahead on this. That country had stricter national limits for nitrites in meat products for years, with the Commission's permission, and it proved that you can work just as safely with lower doses and good hygiene [1]. With this regulation, the EU is now steering the rest of Europe in the same, stricter direction.
Why children and pregnant women especially need to be careful
The disadvantages of nitrites and nitrates weigh heaviest for the most sensitive groups. For everyone, nitrosamines can form in the body, some of which are carcinogenic. That is why processed and salted meats are linked to an increased risk of colon cancer, and this is exactly the exposure the EU wants to reduce [2].
There is another factor for children. When EFSA added up all sources, including additives and what naturally occurs in food, it appeared that babies, toddlers, and young children can exceed the safe daily amount of nitrite [1]. Due to their low body weight, they reach that limit much faster than an adult.
There is a very concrete danger for babies. A high intake of nitrite or nitrate can disrupt oxygen transport in the blood. Nitrite converts the oxygen carrier in the blood into a form that can hardly carry oxygen anymore, causing the so-called blue baby syndrome, medically known as methemoglobinemia. Babies under six months are most sensitive to this, and in severe cases, the condition is life-threatening [12]. This is also why very young babies are not given nitrate-rich foods.
Caution is also advised during pregnancy, as nitrite can reach the unborn baby, who is just as vulnerable [12]. For healthy adults, the risks are much lower, but for these groups, less is simply better.
In short: it is reduced because there is a health reason behind it. Those who can make a product without these additives, like us, simply avoid that discussion.
And are there no E-numbers for broth then?
Good question, and the answer surprises many people. For broth, there really is no preservative with an E-number that makes a liquid meat product safely shelf-stable at room temperature. The nitrites and nitrates mentioned above belong in cured meats, not in broth. To make broth safe and shelf-stable, it therefore comes down to refrigeration or sterilization. The chemical route is simply not a real option for broth.
Our broth also needs nothing else. Good bones that simmer for a long time naturally give flavor, and sterilization ensures shelf life. No colorings, no preservatives, no additives.
The real risks of meat products
Meat and broth can naturally contain bacteria, molds, yeasts, and viruses. As long as they have the chance to multiply, you risk spoilage and food poisoning. Most of those microorganisms die during cooking. But there is a catch: spores.
Some bacteria form spores, a kind of survival form that is extremely heat resistant. The best known and most dangerous is Clostridium botulinum, the botulism bacterium. Simply cooking at one hundred degrees kills the active bacteria, but not the spores [3]. In an airtight sealed jar left at room temperature, the exact low-oxygen environment arises in which those spores can grow again and produce a toxin [4]. That toxin, botulinum toxin, blocks nerves and causes paralysis that spreads from top to bottom and in the worst case stops breathing [3].
To make this tangible: it is exactly the same toxin that, in tiny purified doses, is used medically and cosmetically under the name Botox, where it temporarily paralyzes muscles [3]. It is one of the deadliest natural substances we know. You definitely do not want this in your food.
The only reliable way to destroy those spores is by heating well above one hundred degrees under pressure. That is what an autoclave does, and it is the reason why non-acidic products like meat, vegetables, and broth must be processed under pressure according to regulations, not just in a pan or a water bath [4]. This intense heat treatment is the global standard for commercially sterile canned goods and is known in the industry as the botulinum cook [5].
How we approach this
We take no risks here. The bones arrive deep-frozen so that no spoilage can occur during transport. All our equipment is thoroughly cleaned with designated agents. The broth is filled hot and immediately sterilized under pressure, so the time in which something can go wrong is as short as possible. For several productions, we show the lab results on our website. We always advise customers to request and review them. Don’t take risks and trust numbers, not promises.
What is histamine, and is the story on social media true?
Histamine is a so-called biogenic amine. It forms when bacteria break down a protein building block, the amino acid histidine [6]. And that is the crux of the matter: histamine comes from poorer, older, or spoiling meat, not from (bone) broth itself. Formation happens fastest when meat is left too long at a warm temperature, between about twenty and forty degrees, and almost stops below five degrees [7]. Old or poorly stored meat can therefore contain a lot of histamine, fresh and well-cooled meat almost none. Scientific studies all point in the same direction: it is about the quality and freshness of the meat [6][7][8].
Yet the persistent idea circulates online that histamine is naturally present in bone broth, simply because it is bone broth. If you check the blogs, you see many people copying that blindly without verifying anything. That is not true. Bone broth is not the problem. Bad meat is the problem. If you make your broth from fresh, well-cooled bones, histamine simply does not get the chance to form.
And be careful, because this is a second misunderstanding: sterilization does not help here. Once formed, histamine does not disappear. Cooking, freezing, or sterilizing does not break it down, and heating can even slightly increase the level in bad meat [8]. What does help is working cleanly, working with fresh ingredients, and cooling immediately. That is why we work with bones from cattle from Belgium and the Netherlands, which arrive deep-frozen and are processed quickly. This way, there is no room for histamine formation from the start. Sterilization then ensures microbiological safety, but the low histamine is thanks to the raw material and the way of working.
Because we kept getting questions due to all the misinformation on social media, we had our broth externally tested for histamine. It’s an expensive test, but we did it simply to reassure our customers with hard data. For your specific jar of broth, such a lab test is the only real proof, much more than any general claim on the internet. Our results are on the website.
Don’t the good substances get destroyed during sterilization?
This is a question we get often and rightly so. The short answer: the things you drink broth for remain intact.
Amino acids and minerals withstand heat well. The collagen from bones is converted into gelatin by heating, which is exactly what you want because gelatin is more digestible than raw collagen. Some heat-sensitive vitamins may decrease slightly, but broth is never your main source of vitamins. So sterilization changes little of what broth really has to offer. Important detail: our lab values for protein, amino acids, and minerals are measured after sterilization. What’s on our report is exactly what’s effectively in your jar.
Consider the classic example of an egg. Some people assume raw is always better because heating supposedly destroys nutrients. With an egg, it’s actually the opposite. Cooked egg protein is absorbed by your body at about 91 percent, while raw egg protein is only absorbed at around 51 percent [9]. Heating breaks down the protein structure just enough to make it easier for your digestion. Heating can make a food more digestible rather than less. You lose a little, but you gain safety and absorption. That’s exactly the trade-off that matters.
Why raw is not automatically better
The idea that raw is always healthier sounds appealing, but it overlooks the risks. Take raw milk, for example. According to data from U.S. health authorities, between 1998 and 2018 there were 202 outbreaks in the United States caused by drinking raw milk, resulting in 2,645 illnesses and 228 hospitalizations [10]. Children and teenagers are the most frequently and severely affected, and pregnant women face an additional risk of listeria [10]. In a recent outbreak in the U.S., the median age of those sick was around seven years old, so mostly children [11].
Now, we say this with nuance. We ourselves are in favor of good raw milk cheese, and many people enjoy it without problems. But for pregnant women, babies, young children, and people with weakened immune systems, caution is simply wise. Raw can be beautiful, but it is not a free pass to ignore the risks.
Want to make broth yourself?
Can you also make a shelf-stable product at home like we do? In theory yes, using the pressure canning method, where you use a special pressure cooker to reach temperatures above one hundred degrees. Honestly, that is quite cumbersome and typically American. It is also the method where home cooks make mistakes, and improperly done pressure sterilization is a classic cause of botulism at home.
For the average home cook, we therefore recommend something much simpler and safer. If you make broth yourself, cool it quickly and store it in the refrigerator for a few days, or freeze it immediately for longer storage. This way you avoid all the risks of pressure sterilization and keep your broth perfectly safe.
What if you buy broth?
Always check exactly what a producer does. Within the EU, the rules are strict, and that is a good thing, but not every manufacturer, especially smaller ones, knows and follows those rules equally well. So ask how the product is stored and processed, and ask for the lab results. A producer who has nothing to hide will gladly share them. We openly post ours on the website, precisely for that reason.
Sources
[1] Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2108, EUR-Lex, and summaries AGRINFO and Campden BRI.
[2] EFSA, Risk assessment of N-nitrosamines in food, EFSA Journal 2023;21(3):7884.
[3] World Health Organization, Botulism, factsheet.
[4] USDA FSIS, Clostridium botulinum; University of Nebraska, Clostridium botulinum.
[5] Peck et al., Physical Treatments to Control Clostridium botulinum, PMC10137509.
[6] Biogenic amines in foods, PMC6049710.
[7] Biogenic amines formation in fermented foods, BIO Web of Conferences 2020.
[8] Histamine Contents in Raw Long-ripening Meat Products, PMC8775731.
[9] Evenepoel et al., Digestibility of Cooked and Raw Egg Protein, J Nutr 1998;128(10):1716.
[10] FDA, The Dangers of Raw Milk (CDC-data 1998 to 2018).
[11] CIDRAP, Salmonella outbreak tied to raw milk products, 2024.
[12] US EPA, Nitrates and Nitrites (Chemical Summary); Wisconsin DHS, Infant Methemoglobinemia (Blue Baby Syndrome).