Warning over processed meat as EU health chiefs say preservatives used are cancerous
New health warning on processed meat and beer as EU officials say they may contain cancer-causing chemicals
Health bosses have issued a new warning about cancer-causing chemicals found in bacon and beer.
Current levels of society’s consumption of nitrosamines “give rise to health concerns,” EU officials warned today.
The chemicals, known for decades to be carcinogenic, are not intentionally added to food.
Instead, they form as a result of a chemical reaction from the addition of food preservatives such as nitrates or nitrites.
Ten different types have already been discovered in foods sold across the continent.
EU health chiefs have warned that cancer-causing chemicals inadvertently produced as a result of the use of preservatives famously found in processed meats are carcinogenic and pose a ‘health risk’ (stock image)
Tests have found them in cured meats, processed fish and cocoa, as well as beer.
Other food groups, such as processed vegetables, grains, milk and other dairy products, as well as fermented, pickled and spicy foods, could also contain nitrosamines, they said.
Yet the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said the “leading food group” for exposure to nitrosamines was meat.
Nitrates or nitrites are used in processed meats to extend the shelf life of processed meats and to give ham its enticingly spicy flavor and fresh, pink hue.
Dr. Dieter Schrenk, EFSA chair of the panel on contaminants in the food chain, said: ‘Our assessment concludes that the level of exposure to nitrosamines in food poses a health risk for all age groups in the EU population.’
EFSA advised people to eat a balanced diet with a wide variety of foods to reduce their potential consumption of nitrosamines.
The body is now officially sharing its opinion with the European Commission, which will discuss possible ‘risk management measures’ with member states.
Such measures could, in theory, include introduction warnings on the packaging of products found to contain one or more of the 10 nitrosamines of concern.
Other possible public health initiatives, previously touted by experts, include a specific tax on processed meat to deter shoppers from buying it.
Once digested, nitrosamines are broken down by the liver.
From there, they can damage DNA, leading to mutations that can cause cancer.
This is the ‘most critical health effect’, according to Dr. Schrenk, based on studies in rodents.
Studies have also linked the substances to an increased risk of colon, breast and prostate cancer.
Its use in food preparation has been under increasing scrutiny since the World Health Organization labeled processed meat a carcinogen in 2015.
Any EU ruling on nitrogen-based preservatives could bolster calls for action in the UK, as it is estimated that 90 per cent of bacon sold in supermarkets contain these substances.
But some countries in the bloc have already promised action.
French health bosses dealt a blow to their country’s beloved processed meats industry last year after promising to reduce the use of nitrates and nitrites to only “strictly necessary” amounts.