Colon cancer linked to nitrates in charcuterie, French authorities confirm

Additives used to prolong the shelf life of cold cuts increase risk of cancer

(Getty Images)

France’s health authorities have found a link between additives used in processed meat and colon cancer.

The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (Anses) confirmed that nitrates and nitrites in ham, saucisson and other processed meat products increased the risk of colon cancer.

The news comes as a blow to the country’s beloved charcuterie industry, as the French government has come up with an action plan to curb the consumption of such additives following the findings.

Nitrites and nitrates are used in processed meat products to preserve them and give them their pink shade.

The French health authorities said it examined publicly available data and found a link “between exposure to nitrates and/or nitrites and the risk of colorectal cancer”.

It added: “The higher the exposure, the greater the risk of colorectal cancer.”

The food safety body recommended “reducing consumption of the range of nitrates and nitrites by deliberately limiting exposure through food consumption”.

A joint statement from France’s health and agricultural ministers said: “It is about limiting [the use of additives] to the strictly necessary.

“The reduction must be done in a balanced way that guarantees food security for the consumer.”

President Emmanuel Macron’s government pledged to release a “co-ordinated plan to lead the reduction or the suppression of the use of… additives in foodstuffs where that is possible without an impact on health”.

Anses’ findings are in line with a 2015 warning from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The UN body’s International Agency for Research on Cancer said at the time that processed meats should be classified as group one carcinogens.

The classification is based on “sufficient evidence from epidemiological studies that eating processed meat causes colorectal cancer,” the WHO said.

The WHO’s warning applied to all processed meat, including products like hot dogs, ham, sausages, corned beef, canned meat, and meat-based preparations and sauces.

France is one of the biggest producers of cold cuts in the world, with around 687,088 tonnes of charcuterie sold in 2020 alone. The industry is worth an estimated €6.7bn (£5.6bn) a year.