The government announced on Tuesday 12 July a “action plan to reduce the addition of nitro additives in food products”. A first meeting with the technical actors of the sectors “will be organized before the end of July 2022” ; and ” in autumn “an action plan resulting from this work “will be presented to Parliament”promise the ministries of health and agriculture.
This decision is taken after confirmation of a link between the risk of cancer and exposure to these additives by the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES). The health agency calls for “reduce the exposure of the population to nitrates and nitrites by proactive measures by limiting exposure through food”in an opinion delivered Tuesday morning.
Ministries write in a communicated common :
“It is a question of limiting their use to what is strictly necessary. This reduction must be carried out in a balance guaranteeing food safety for the consumer. (…) As it promised during the examination last February of the bill relating to the gradual banning of nitro additives in charcuterie products, the government will follow the recommendations of ANSES. A coordinated action plan will be implemented in order to achieve the reduction or elimination of the use of nitro additives in all food products where this is possible without health impact and this as quickly as possible. (…) The health of French consumers is the government’s sole compass in analyzing all the data and making recommendations. »
The ministries point out that the use of nitrites and nitrates is authorized by European regulations, which provide for maximum incorporation rates of 150 milligrams per kilo. In France, “The charcuterie sectors are already below these thresholds with a maximum of 120 mg per kilo”.
ANSES’s opinion “complements the work carried out at European level as part of a community reflection on acceptable daily intakes. On this subject, a new European opinion is expected by the end of the year..