MEPs against an immediate ban on nitrate additives

“The sausage war will not take place.” MEPs voted on Wednesday 26 January in committee in favor of a “downward trajectory” maximum doses of nitro additives in charcuterie, but without moving now towards a ban on these controversial preservatives. The Assembly’s Economic Affairs Committee was examining at first reading a bill by Richard Ramos (MoDem) aimed at a phased ban by 2025.

The member for Loiret vigorously defended the banning of a “poison”, which would go hand in hand with support for producers. “France must lead the way in Europe”, launched this defender of“healthier, safer food, accessible to the poorest”. At his side, the Minister of Agriculture Julien Denormandie assured not to want “elude” the question. But it’s “a major subject that we must deal with methodically” : he wishes to wait for the opinion of the health agency Anses, which was planned for 2021 and has been postponed to the end of the first half of 2022. The minister was followed by most of the deputies, who voted a series of amendments rewriting the bill.

Historically, pork butchers have used nitrated components to extend the shelf life of products and prevent the development of pathogenic bacteria that cause botulism in particular, a serious neurological condition that has been largely forgotten due to the health progress of modern agri-food. In addition to giving the naturally gray ham its pink color, they also allow the use of lower quality, cheaper meat, while saving time in the drying process, according to a 2021 parliamentary report, co-signed by Richard Ramos. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) classified processed meat, including deli meats, as carcinogenic (category 1). It would promote, among other things, colorectal cancers. Ingested nitrites are considered probable carcinogens (category 2A).