The National Assembly has voted the principle of a “downward trajectory” maximum doses of nitro additives in charcuterie, Thursday 3 February. The measure was adopted at first reading almost unanimously (93 votes for, one against) but the deputies, at this stage, have not decided in favor of an outright ban on these controversial conservatives.
The text must now be examined by the Senate, dominated by the right, which seems unlikely under this mandate given the already busy parliamentary calendar which will end on February 27.
Author of the bill, the centrist deputy of Loiret Richard Ramos – who makes his own charcuterie as an amateur – welcomed this vote “historical” of a text “humanist”constituting a “concrete response to junk food, which mainly affects the poorest”. In support, the Minister of Relations with Parliament, Marc Fesneau, on behalf of the government, also underlined the “risk of a two-speed diet”while more expensive nitrite-free ranges are developing.
Butchers use 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 health progress. 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.
The bill initially provided for a phased ban on these nitrate additives by 2025. But it was rewritten in committee, under the leadership of the Minister of Agriculture, Julien Denormandie, who first wishes to consult the opinion from the health agency Anses, planned for 2021 and finally postponed to next June.
After the promulgation of the law, and depending on the opinion of ANSES, a decree will have to set “a trajectory of reduction of the maximum dose of nitro additives with regard to the proven risks for human health”. This text may also “set a list and schedule” banning the marketing of products incorporating these additives. Within eighteen months, specific labeling for these products will be developed.
Some, like the socialist Cécile Untermaier, would have liked to go “faster and further” against nitro additives. Corn “we cannot anticipate scientific advice without weakening our decisions”she noted, emphasizing that the challenge was to ensure that the text “does not remain a dead letter”. The “rebellious” Loïc Prud’homme, who voted against the text, strongly denounced the lobbying in particular of the Federation of charcuterie manufacturers, and an expertise that he already considers “biased” from ANSES.
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). Ingested nitrites are considered probable carcinogens (category 2A).