Call for nitrites reduction in processed meats
A cross-party group of politicians are calling for nitrites to be removed from processed meats including bacon, claiming that nitrite-free alternatives are safer and should be more widely used.
Responding to the claim, Nick Allen of the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) said that nitrites are authorised additives and that they are only used in curing meats to help preserve them and to add flavour. He added: “The European Food Safety Authority found consumer exposure to nitrites and nitrates as food additives was within safe levels for all population groups, except for a slight exceedance in children whose diet is high in foods containing the chemicals.”
However the coalition of MPs, which also includes various doctors, claim there is a ‘consensus of scientific opinion’ that, when cooked and eaten, nitrites produce nitrosamines – chemicals which can cause cancer. The example of Parma ham is given which they claim had not used nitrites for 25 years, and that more recently Nestle in France and Finnebrogue in the UK had produced mass-market products such as bacon and ham that did not use chemical additives.
BMPA chief executive, Nick Allen: nitrites are authorised additives.
The coalition, is led by Professor Chris Elliott, the food scientist who ran the government’s investigation into the horse meat scandal, and Dr Aseem Malhotra, a NHS cardiologist, with both calling on the government to launch a public awareness campaign, similar to the ‘war’ on sugar and fattening foods, to raise awareness of the risks of nitrites.
Others supporting the campaign are Labours deputy leader Tom Watson and the chair of the parliamentary group on food and health, Conservative MP Sir David Amess.
Dr Malhotra said the meat industry must act fast and should act now. But BMPA’s Nick Allen pushed back, explaining that nitrites helped to hinder microbial growth and protect against botulism, a serious form of food poisoning. He added: “The industry is constantly looking at the levels of nitrites and nitrates, but reductions have to be balanced against the food safety issues and minimising waste.”
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