France's national food safety agency is encouraging people to reduce their consumption of ham and charcuterie after it confirmed an association between the risk of cancer and exposure to nitrates and nitrites used to cure and preserve prepared meats.
In a report published Tuesday, Anses said it agreed with the World Health Organization’s international centre for cancer research, CIRC, which in 2015 classified processed meat as carcinogenic.
Because of the nitrites used to preserve charcuterie and ham, consuming them raises the risk of colorectal cancer, which in France kills 18,000 people a year.
Nitrites are used to cure processed meat, to extend its shelf life by preventing the development of harmful bacteria, notably botulism.
Nitrites also contribute to the pink colour of ham, which otherwise would oxidise and be grey.
In order to limit the risk of cancer, Anses recommends that consumers reduce their exposure to nitrates and nitrites by limiting their consumption of charcuterie to the existing recommended amount of 150 grams a week.
'Hidden' nitrates and nitrites
However, the agency also encourages regulators to rethink daily doses, as most people stick to the recommended doses and are still developing cancer, because of what Anses calls “hidden nitrates and nitrites”.
Nitrates are naturally present in the soil and are being concentrated through the use of fertiliser additives and animal effluents.
These nitrates, consumed in vegetables – notably leafy greens like spinach and lettuce – and even through drinking water, combine with bacterial enzymes in the mouth and are transformed into nitroso compounds, which the Asnes says are “known for their genotoxic and carcinogenic attributes”.
The agency recommends continuing research into the “co-exposure” to nitrates and nitrites, naturally present and as food additives.
Alternatives still have nitrites
Charcuterie and ham producers, like industry leaders Herta or Fleury Michon, have already started using alternatives to added nitrites, advertising products preserved with “vegetable extracts” or “vegetable broth”.
But the Anses warns that these solutions do not solve the problem, as they “naturally contain nitrates, which through the effect of bacteria, are converted into nitrites”.
“These products called ‘without added nitrites’ or ‘zero nitrite’s contain, therefore, nitrates, and hidden nitrites,” concluded the agency.
Anses recommends introducing other measures to limit the risk of bacterial infections, like reducing sell-by dates, or addressing bacterial infections in slaughterhouses, before the meat is processed.
Charcuterie producers fight back
In February, the French National Assembly passed a law approving the principle of reducing maximum nitrite doses in charcuterie, but did not ban the preservatives.
The issue sparked a fierce debate between charcuterie producers, who argued in favour of their historical methods, and consumer advocates and the League against cancer, who argued for an outright nitrite ban to protect consumers.
On Tuesday, after the Anses report was published, the Agriculture ministry said it would “follow Anses’s recommendations” and put in place a plan of action that will result in either the “reduction or the suppression of the use of the nitric additives in all food products where it is possible without a health impact”.
The government will present a plan of action to parliament in the autumn.
(with wires)
