E249 (potassium nitrite), E250 (sodium nitrite), E251 (sodium nitrate) and E252 (potassium nitrate) are food additives that belong to the family of nitrites. Present in approximately 12,000 products sold in France (and, in particular, in certain industrial hams), they are strongly contested: the NGO Foodwatch, the Yuka application and the League against cancer denounce their carcinogenic impact since November 2019.
A dangerousness underlined by three deputies who had then submitted a report in which they pleaded in favor of the progressive banning of nitrite salts in charcuterie. The report first recommended “prohibit the use of nitro additives in charcuterie from 1er January 2023 for non-heat treated meat products from 1er January 2025 for all charcuterie products”.
Corn the ban will finally not be acted. The bill “relating to the progressive ban on nitrate additives in charcuterie products” will finally have been modified before being adopted by the National Assembly on February 3, 2021.
The adoption of this law on February 3, 2021 is a advanced, but slower than expected for associations. In one communicatedthey are pleased that “prohibition of these additives [soit désormais inscrite] on the political agenda“, corn “regret that things are not going as quickly as they would have liked and that decisions have been postponed for several months and conditioned on the ANSES report“. The text, which has yet to pass the Senate, provides for “a downward trajectory” within 12 months after the opinion of ANSES, scheduled for mid-2022. More specific product labeling will also be implemented within 18 months. after the publication of the law, as well as special advertising conditions for products containing nitrites.
Nitrites, what are they?
About 76% of charcuterie marketed in supermarkets contains nitrates or nitrites, the report said. These additives help to limit the proliferation of harmful micro-organisms, in particular Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria responsible for botulism. They are also added to meat to preserve its attractive red color and give it flavor.
What happens to nitrites in the body? According to a report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which dates from 2017, nitrites pose two major risks to humans: by oxidizing hemoglobin, they reduce the ability of red blood cells to transport oxygen in the body. At the same time, nitrites can also contribute to the formation of carcinogenic chemical compounds – nitrosamines.
What are the risks ?
Nitrites, what are the risks? If EFSA experts believe that “nitrosamines formed in the body from added nitrites in meat products (…) are of little concern to human health“, the League against cancer affirms that nitrites are responsible for 4000 new cases of cancer each year in France – colorectal cancers, in particular.
Sources:
- Bill relating to the gradual ban on nitrate additives in charcuterie products, February 2022
- Nitrites in charcuterie: a law adopted today, Foodwatch
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