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.
And a new report from ANSES – which will be unveiled this Tuesday, July 12 – is about to highlight “the risks associated with the consumption of nitrites, the preservatives that give ham its pink color“, says the Sunday newspaper, which revealed the information in its July 10 edition. In a summary obtained by the newspaper, ANSES acknowledges the existence of a risk and “recommends reducing the exposure of the population through proactive measures by limiting exposure through food“with the aim of”health security“.
In 2018, the WHO had already estimated that nearly 4,000 cases of colon cancer were attributable to the consumption of charcuterie in France. And if the link had never been proven before, “new epidemiological studies show that they increase the risk of cancerindicates the JDD. They are not dangerous in themselves; the toxicity comes from their association with other compounds of cold cuts and substances that are formed during their degradation in the digestive tract.”
Where is the law in France?
This dangerousness has already been underlined by three deputies who then submitted a report in 2021, 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”.
Adopted on February 3, 2022 in the National Assembly, this “nitrites law” was modified before being adopted and ultimately did not ban them. This adoption remains a advanced, but slower than expected for associations. In a communicatedthey are pleased that “prohibition of these additives [soit désormais inscrite] on the political agenda“, but “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.
The writers of this report, including MP Richard Ramos, congratulate ANSES’s decision, which “finally recognizes that charcuterie kills” and will take advantage of the publication of this report to ask for a new banwhile giving the sector “deadlines for transformation“.
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 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:
- An official report confirms that ham can kill, The Sunday newspaperJuly 10, 2022
- 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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