This European Prestandard specifies an ion-exchange chromatographic method for the determination of the nitrate and nitrite contents of meat products having a nitrate content of 50 mg/kg to 300 mg/kg as nitrate ions and a nitrite content of approximately 40 mg/kg as nitrite ion. Note: Validation data obtained from interlaboratory studies show that this method may also be applied to the determination of nitrate in vegetables and baby food, see (1), (2). Furthermore, the method may be applied for the determination of nitrite in meat products having a nitrite content of greater than 40 mg/kg.