The end of pink ham? France to cut use of nitrite in cured meats

Fleury Michon SA

04/02/2022 18:18

By Geert De Clercq
    PARIS, Feb 4 (Reuters) - French parliament has approved a
bill that aims to gradually reduce the use of nitrite in cured
meats and has ordered a review of the potential health risks by
the end of June. 
    Nitrite salts are widely used in cured meats such as ham,
bacon and sausages, extend the shelf life of processed meats and
give boiled ham its pink colour. 
    But a 2015 World Health Organization report https://www.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pr240_E.pdf
 classified processed meat as carcinogenic because curing - by
adding nitrates or nitrites or by smoking - can lead to the
formation of potentially cancer-causing chemicals. 
    Proposed by an MP of the Modem party - which is part of
President Emmanuel Macron's ruling coalition - the new bill
stopped short of an outright ban from 2023, but has set a
timetable for reducing nitrites use.
    National health agency Anses will publish a report about the
health risks of nitrite by end June, after which the government
will have 12 months to outline a trajectory for reducing or
phasing out the preservative. 
    Implementation of the new law would fall to a new government
following presidential elections in April. 
    "Even if this law delays a decision on the issue, it commits
government and parliament to take decisions in coming months,"
said French food quality app Yuka, the French anti-cancer league
and the Foodwatch NGO in a joint statement. 
    Fabien Castanier, director of cured meat industry federation
FICT, said his group welcomed the fact that any decision would
be based on a scientific report. 
    He said nitrites are deemed to be safe additives under
current French and European legislation and that the French
"charcuterie" industry already used less nitrite - about 110
miligrammes per kilo - than the 150 mg/kg allowed by EU rules.
    Currently, 90% of all cured meats include nitrites but some
of the biggest firms such as Nesltle-owned  NESN.S  Herta or
Fleury Michon  ALFLE.PA  are already experimenting with
nitrite-free products, Castanier said. 
    However, he said the nearly 300 small to medium-size
companies in the sector would struggle to manufacture their
products without the use of nitrites, as lack of the
preservative would reduce shelf life and increase the risk of
bacterial infection. 

 (Reporting by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
 ((geert.declercq@tr.com;))