National food safety agency Anses said its study of data published on the subject supported similar conclusions in 2015 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Anses “recommends reducing the consumption of nitrates and nitrites by deliberately limiting exposure through food consumption,” it said in a statement. Nitrates are added to a number of food products to improve their shelf life and taste, and to help give pork-based products their pink hue. France is one of the world’s largest producers of cured meats, known as charcuterie, which are often eaten as a snack or with early evening drinks. The government immediately announced that it would launch an action plan to reduce the use of additives later this year. “This is about limiting their use to what is absolutely necessary,” states a joint statement by the Ministers of Health and Agriculture. “The reduction must be done in a balanced way that guarantees food security for the consumer.” The WHO’s 2015 warning made headlines around the world after the UN agency’s International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that processed meats should be classified as group 1 carcinogens. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST The warning applies to all processed meats, from the bacon consumed in large quantities in the US and Britain, to Italian salami, Spanish chorizo, German bratwurst and French cured meats. Anses said in its statement that reducing nitrates would result in increased risks of serious diseases such as botulism, listeria or salmonella. However, these risks could be addressed with shorter use-by dates and modified production processes, he added. “Faced with the scientific evidence, the political class must take action,” campaign group Foodwatch, the League Against Cancer and health tracking app Yuka said in a joint statement.
