Yes, even without the addition of sodium nitrate to meats during the curing process, the meat will still have naturally occuring nitrates from the smoking process.

Just a thought about sugar in bacon .. I've noticed that the reduced-salt versions of national brands tend to also have little or no sugar in them, so that's what I've been buying. Now regular bacon tastes unbearably salty to me. Only problem -- reduced-salt bacon tends to spoil quicker without all that "preservative" in it So eat it up within a few days of opening the pkg, or what I do is cook the whole package at once, then freeze in portions. They can be microwaved, or heat up quickly at the edge of the skillet when frying eggs

Doreen