The famous ham and butter lunch could be responsible for certain colon cancers. At least that’s what the Sunday newspaper, in its July 10 issue, based on an official report by the National Food Safety Agency (Anses) which will be made public on Tuesday July 12. For the first time, the ham is singled out by the agency. There would be a link between nitrites in ham and colon cancer. These controversial additives, which give ham its pink color, had already been at the heart of the controversy, placing them as preservatives promoting cancer. To come to the conclusion that charcuterie can be harmful to health, ANSES called on 13 scientific experts. The latter would have confirmed the link between exposure to nitrites and colon cancer.
“Finally, ANSES recognizes that charcuterie kills and even points out a danger for babies“, launched the Modem deputy, Richard Ramos, in the columns of the JDD. Until now, the relationship between colon cancer and nitrites in ham had not been proven. For the agency, it would therefore be necessary to limit “dietary exposure“, in a spirit of “health security“. We will have to wait until Tuesday to have more information and indications from the authors of the report.
Alternatives to nitrites in ham
“We have enough scientific elements to say that we should do without it“, launched the food and agriculture project manager at theUFC-What to choose, Olivier Andrault, last February. Also in February, the National Assembly had voted a “declining trajectory” maximum authorized doses in ham and charcuterie. However, a total ban on these preservatives had not been passed… A situation finally ready to evolve?
If you are a fan of ham shells and rosette sandwiches, know that there are solutions to avoid consuming nitrites. In addition to organic hams and charcuterie, which contain half the nitrites than the maximum doses recommended in industrial products, major retail brands also offer nitrite-free products. Ham, sausages… there’s something for everyone and at affordable prices. Enough to continue to consume these foods reasonably while avoiding the ingestion of too large a dose of nitrites or nitrite salt.