The Paris Court of Appeal has recognized the right to warn about the health risks of additives based on nitrites and nitrates added to food.
- Following the attack on Yuka by the French Federation of Industrial Charcutiers Caterers (FICT), the Paris Court of Appeal has just ruled in favor of the application, recognizing the right to warn about health risks additives based on nitrites and nitrates added in the diet.
- In its judgment, the Court of Appeal “dismisses the Federation of French Charcutier-Catering Companies (FICT) of all of its claims on the basis of denigration, the call for boycott and unfair and misleading commercial practices” .
- Nitrites and nitrates are additives used in charcuterie to give products a characteristic color and flavor.
Following the attack on Yuka by the French Federation of Industrial Charcutiers Caterers (FICT), the Paris Court of Appeal has just ruled in favor of the application, recognizing the right to warn about health risks additives based on nitrites and nitrates added in the diet.
Three years of proceedings
In its judgment, the Court of Appeal “Dismisses the Federation of French Charcutier-Catering Companies (FICT) of all of its requests on the basis of denigration, the call for a boycott and unfair and misleading commercial practices”.
For more than three years, Yuka, foodwatch and the League against cancer have joined forces to warn about the health risks of additives based on nitrites and nitrates (E249, E250, E251, E252) and mobilize to obtain their ban. .
For its part, the FICT, which represents the interests of small manufacturers but also well-known brands, demanded the removal of any mention of the carcinogenic nature of nitrated charcuterie.
Two different points of view
“No offense to the charcuterie lobbies, consumers have the right to know that nitrate additives added to food promote certain cancers. They also have the right to know that these same manufacturers are quite capable of sell nitrite-free products. We were right from the start to warn about the health risks and we are delighted that three times the Court of Appeal has found that the information prevailed over the private interests of the butchers-caterers wanting gagging us. Tackling the messenger was a bad strategy. Because the message remains: nitrites put us at risk of cancer, so we need to ban them, not just reduce them.” commented Yuka, foodwatch and the Cancer League.
During the first judgement, Bernard Vallat, president of the FICT, said he hoped that the judges would interpret the freedom for the Yuka application differently from “to denigrate” the products of its members. “If Yuka clearly stated that “it’s dangerous, but only if you consume too much”, it would be different!”, he then protested to the UFC that Choosing.
What are nitrites?
Nitrites and nitrates are additives used in charcuterie to give products a characteristic color and flavor.
In a 2022 report, the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) confirmed “the existence of a positive association between exposure to nitrates and/or nitrites via processed meat and the risk of colorectal cancer”.
