Broth, meat broth, and bone broth are meat products. That may sound logical, but it has major implications for how you keep them safe. Meat and everything extracted from it provide an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, molds, and yeasts. That is why both European and Belgian legislation determine how such products may be stored and sold. We make our bone broth here in Belgium, so we are fully subject to those rules. In this blog, we explain which methods are permitted, which one we choose and why, and what to look out for when making broth yourself or buying it somewhere.
The three ways to keep a meat product safe
In practice, this comes down to three routes. For a liquid, protein-rich, non-acidic product such as broth, these are the options:
1. Keeping it refrigerated from start to finish. You cool the product rapidly immediately after preparation and then keep it continuously refrigerated, including during storage and shipping. If you break the cold chain, bacteria can still get their chance.
2. Sterilizing under pressure. You heat the filled product under pressure to well above one hundred degrees, monitor the temperature and pressure, and use special jars and lids for this purpose. This produces a product that is shelf-stable at room temperature, without refrigeration.
3. Adding preservatives (nitrites and nitrates). This is the chemical route used mainly for salted and cured meats, such as ham, bacon, and salami. These are nitrites (E249 and E250) and nitrates (E251 and E252).
With the third method, there is an important nuance. Nitrites and nitrates are almost never used in broth. They belong in brines and cured meats, and on their own they do not make a liquid product shelf-stable at room temperature. They work in combination with refrigeration, salt, or drying. We mention them here because they are the third permitted preservation route for meat products in general, but for broth, methods 1 and 2 are the actual choices.
Why we choose pressure sterilization
We use the second method. Our broth is filled hot into glass jars with an aluminum lid and then sterilized under pressure. We chose this for several reasons.
It is more ecological for us, and that is because of 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. Anyone shipping refrigerated or frozen goods often has to use Styrofoam, ice packs, and insulated boxes that end up in the trash after just one use. We avoid all of that.
There is also a practical and human advantage. A chilled package that arrives late, is taken to a newsstand or 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 one practical feature of this method yourself. The lids are for single use and have a special sealing ring. As the jar cools, a vacuum forms, causing the lid to bend slightly inward. When you open such a jar for the first time, you hear a distinct click or pop. That sound proves that the vacuum was intact and that the jar had never been opened unnoticed. If you do not hear the 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 do three things: inhibit dangerous bacteria (especially the bacterium that causes botulism), preserve the meat's red color, and provide the characteristic taste and aroma of matured 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 them are carcinogenic. In 2023, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assessed exposure to nitrosamines as a genuine health risk [2]. That is why the European Commission lowered the permitted amounts of nitrites and nitrates through Regulation (EU) 2023/2108, as part of the European Beating Cancer Plan. The new, lower limits apply to meat and fish products from October 9, 2025, with longer transition periods for certain types of cheese [1].
Denmark was ahead of the curve here. For years, the country had stricter national limits for nitrites in meat products, with the Commission's approval, and it proved that lower doses and good hygiene can be used just as safely [1]. With this regulation, the EU is now moving the rest of Europe in the same, stricter direction.
Why children and pregnant women in particular need to be careful
The disadvantages of nitrites and nitrates are greatest for the most vulnerable groups. For everyone, nitrosamines can form in the body, and some of them are carcinogenic. That is why processed and cured meats are associated with an increased risk of bowel cancer, and that is exactly the exposure the EU wants to reduce [2].
For children, there is another concern. When EFSA added up all sources, including additives and the amount naturally present in food, it found that babies, toddlers, and young children can exceed the safe daily amount of nitrite [1]. Because of their low body weight, they reach that limit much faster than adults.
For babies, there is an additional, very specific danger. Excessive intake of nitrite or nitrate can disrupt the transport of oxygen in the blood. Nitrite converts the oxygen carrier in the blood into a form that can barely transport oxygen, causing what is known as blue baby syndrome, or methemoglobinemia in medical terms. Babies under six months are most susceptible, and in severe cases, the condition is life-threatening [12]. This is also why very young babies should not be given nitrate-rich foods.
Caution is also warranted during pregnancy, because nitrite can reach the unborn baby, which is just as vulnerable [12]. For healthy adults, the risks are much lower, but for these groups, less is simply better.
In short: the limits are being lowered because there is a health reason behind it. Those who can make a product without these additives, as we can, simply avoid that discussion.
So, are there no E-numbers for broth?
Good question, and the answer surprises many people. In fact, there is no preservative with an E number that makes a liquid meat product safe to store at room temperature. The nitrites and nitrates mentioned above belong in cured meats, not in broth. So making broth safe and shelf-stable ultimately comes down to refrigeration or sterilization. The chemical route simply is not a real option for broth.
Our broth does not need anything else either. Good bones simmered for a long time naturally provide flavor, and sterilization ensures shelf life. No colorings, preservatives or additives.
The real risks of meat products
Meat and broth can naturally contain bacteria, molds, yeasts and viruses. As long as they have the opportunity to multiply, you run the risk of spoilage and food poisoning. Cooking kills most of these microorganisms. But there is a catch: spores.
Some bacteria form spores, a kind of survival form that is extremely resistant to heat. The best known and most dangerous is Clostridium botulinum, the botulism bacterium. Ordinary cooking at one hundred degrees kills the active bacteria, but not the spores [3]. In an airtight jar that is then kept at room temperature, exactly the oxygen-free environment in which those spores can grow again and produce a toxin is created [4]. That toxin, botulinum toxin, blocks the nerves and causes paralysis that moves from the head downward and, in the worst case, stops breathing [3].
To put this into perspective: 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 really do not want this in your food.
The only reliable way to destroy these spores is to heat them to well above one hundred degrees under pressure. That is what an autoclave does, and it is why non-acidic products such as meat, vegetables and broth must be pressure-processed according to regulations rather than simply processed in a pan or water bath [4]. This intense heat treatment is the global standard for commercially sterile canned foods 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 they cannot spoil during transport. All our equipment is thoroughly cleaned with designated cleaning agents. The broth is hot-filled and immediately sterilized under pressure, so the time during which something could go wrong is kept as short as possible. We show the laboratory results from various production runs on our website. We always advise customers to request and review them. Take no risks and trust figures, not promises.
What is histamine, and is the story on social media true?
Histamine is what is known as a biogenic amine. It forms when bacteria break down histidine, an amino acid that is a building block of protein [6]. And that is the heart of the matter: histamine comes from poorer-quality, older, or spoiling meat, not from broth or bone broth itself. Formation is fastest when meat remains too warm for too long, at temperatures between approximately twenty and forty degrees, and almost stops below five degrees [7]. Old or poorly stored meat can therefore contain a great deal of histamine, while fresh, properly chilled meat contains virtually 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 still circulates online that histamine is simply present in bone broth because it is bone broth. If you look through the blogs, you see many people copying this uncritically without checking anything at all. That is simply not correct. Bone broth is not the problem. Poor-quality meat is the problem. If you make your broth from fresh, properly chilled bones, histamine simply does not get the chance to form.
And note, because this is a second misconception: sterilization does not help with this. Once formed, histamine does not disappear. Cooking, freezing, or sterilization does not break it down, and heating can even slightly increase the level in poor-quality meat [8]. What does help is working hygienically, using fresh ingredients, and cooling them immediately. That is why we work with bones from cattle in Belgium and the Netherlands, which arrive deep-frozen and are processed quickly. This leaves no opportunity for histamine to form in the first place. Sterilization then ensures microbiological safety, but the low histamine content is thanks to the raw material and the way we work.
Because we kept receiving questions despite all the misinformation on social media, we had our broth independently tested for histamine. It is an expensive test, but we did it simply to reassure our customers with hard data. For your specific jar of broth, a lab test like this is the only real proof—far more than any general claim on the internet. Our results are available on the website.
Don't the good nutrients also get destroyed during sterilization?
This is a question we often get, and it is a valid one. The short answer: the things you drink broth for remain intact.
Amino acids and minerals withstand heat well. Heating converts the collagen from the bones into gelatin, which is exactly what you want, because gelatin is easier to digest than raw collagen. Some heat-sensitive vitamins may decrease somewhat, but broth is never your primary source of vitamins. Sterilization therefore makes little difference to what broth genuinely has to offer. An important detail: our laboratory values for protein, amino acids, and minerals are measured after sterilization. So what appears on our report is what is actually in your jar.
Consider the classic example of an egg. Some people assume that raw is always better because something might be lost during heating. With an egg, the opposite is true. Your body absorbs about 91 percent of the protein in a cooked egg, while it absorbs only around 51 percent of the protein in a raw egg [9]. Heating opens up the protein structure, making it more accessible to your digestion. Heating can therefore make a food more digestible rather than less nutritious. You lose a small amount, but you gain safety and absorption. That is precisely the trade-off that matters.
Why raw isn't automatically better
The idea that raw is always healthier sounds appealing, but it overlooks the risks. Take raw milk. According to data from U.S. health authorities, there were 202 outbreaks caused by drinking raw milk in the United States between 1998 and 2018, resulting in a total of 2,645 illnesses and 228 hospitalizations [10]. Children and teenagers are most frequently and most 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 who fell ill was around seven, meaning they were predominantly children [11].
Now, we say this with nuance. We do support 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 sensible. Raw can be wonderful, but it is not a free pass to ignore the risks.
Do you 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, which involves a special pressure cooker to reach temperatures above 100 degrees. To be honest, it is quite cumbersome and typically American. Moreover, it is precisely the method in which home cooks make mistakes, and improperly performed pressure canning 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-term storage. This way, you avoid all the risks of pressure canning 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, which 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 laboratory results. A producer with nothing to hide will be happy to share them. We publish ours openly on our website, precisely for that reason.
Sources
[1] Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2108, EUR-Lex, and AGRINFO and Campden BRI summaries.
[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 Amine 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 from 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).