With this report on nitrites, soon the end of pink ham?

• This Tuesday, the National Food Safety Agency (Anses) confirmed the risks of cancer linked to processed meat, in particular charcuterie.

• In question ?

  The use of nitrites, food preservatives, in the product transformation process.

• But what are nitrites?

  And why do we find so many of them in our ham?

  Answers with Mélissa Mialon, food engineer, author of

  Big food & cie

  and consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Ras the rind.

This Tuesday, the National Food Safety Agency (Anses) published an instructive report on the link between nitrites present in charcuterie and the risk of cancer.

Already in 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) had sounded the alarm, noting the link between pink ham and colorectal cancer, among others.

And in 2020, on the occasion of World Cancer Day, the NGO Foodwatch, the nutritional application Yuka and the League against cancer recalled the urgency of banning nitrites in food.

So what are these nitrites so harmful to our health?

And will this new report from ANSES change the situation?

Answers with Mélissa Mialon, food engineer and consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO)

But what are nitrites actually?

"Nitrites are simply food additives", explains Mélissa Mialon from the outset.

There are four of them, all of which have half-word, half-number names, often unclear to the general public.

"There is potassium nitrite (E249), sodium nitrite (E250), sodium nitrate (E251) and potassium nitrate (E252)", adds the food engineer.

These food preservatives are added during the product transformation process.

“They come in the form of a powder, as very often in industrial production, and therefore bring nothing natural to the tasting of the finished product,” concludes the engineer.

Why are there so many nitrites in charcuterie?

For two reasons.

For conservation first: "These are preservatives that prevent the development of bacteria harmful to humans, such as salmonellosis", explains the author of

(Ed. Thierry Souccar).

But in the case of charcuterie and more particularly in that of ham, nitrites also and above all act as decoys.

“They give the ham this pink color, dear to consumers, explains Mélissa Mialon.

However, the ham is gray or even greyish naturally.

»

Why are nitrites so bad for your health?

If nitrites are used in many industrial products, it is the addition of these [particularly in meat] that makes them unhealthy.

"For years we have known that the nitrites present in charcuterie are carcinogenic," says Mélissa Mialon.

Indeed, in 2015 already the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), dependent on the WHO, classified meat processed with additives as carcinogenic.

“We know, for example, that the nitrites present in charcuterie promote colorectal cancer and we have known this for years, long before the ANSES report”, adds the expert to

.

How can the ham industry bounce back after the ANSES report?

In the sauce, will the industrialists of the sector finally react?

Not sure if we are to believe Mélissa Mialon: "They will most likely try to send counter messages and make the general public feel guilty, for whom they have changed the color of the ham..." In other words, the industry out of the ham could come out the "we're answering demand" Joker.

However, all is not lost, believes the engineer: “This report is real progress.

Industry lobbies have been trying to silence nitrite opinions for years.

»

All about food safety

​

That the Circ and ANSES are today in tune could, according to her, help (or “force”) the giants of charcuterie to put an end to pink ham and opt for the shade of gray.

Health

ANSES confirms a link between the nitrites present in charcuterie and the risk of cancer

Health

Charcuterie: The Cancer League, Yuka and Foodwatch call for a ban on nitrites

• Health

• Consumption

• Agrifood

• Feed

• Delicatessen

• Cancer