Nitrite-free hams and sausages by law in France, thanks to an almost unanimous vote by the National Assembly, which on 3.2.22 approved the charcuterie revolution on first reading. 93 in favor, one abstention and one against.
This measure, justified by public health protection requirements, is likely to meet with opposition from the affected industry sector. Although it is easy to foresee it being given the green light at the EU level, as has already happened with titanium dioxide. (1)
On closer inspection, already today pig supply chain operators can apply innovation, which is available, to develop hams and sausages more in line with consumer needs and expectations.
1) Nitrite-free hams and cold cuts, the French bill.
The bill under consideration was introduced on Dec. 21.21 in the National Assembly by MP Richard Ramos of the democratic movement, MoDem, in the governing coalition. (1)
1.1) Foreword
‘Most cured meats consumed in France are treated with nitrate additives. The most commonly used is ‘nitrite salt,’ a mixture of 99.4 percent table salt and 0.6 percent pure sodium nitrite (E250). The other widely used nitrite additive is potassium nitrate (E252). Then there are processes to generate nitrite from plant extracts with high nitrate content.‘ (2)
IARC, the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer, confirmed the findings of the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer. Classifying cured meats as ‘definitely carcinogenic to humans‘. But experimental results conducted by INRAE (Santarelli et al., 2010) showed such an effect only in those with nitrite additives (3,4).
1.2) Nitrite and nitrate reduction in cured meats, the legislative precedent in Denmark
The European Commission has already given the green light to national measures that set lower nitrite and nitrate limits in cured meats in Denmark than in the EU (60 mg/kg instead of 150 mg/kg). After having ‘recognized that the presence of nitrites in meat products can lead to the formation of nitrosamines, which have been shown to be carcinogenic.’ (5)
The meta-analysis on the specific effect of nitrate additives (Crowe et al., 2019), for that matter, shows that 11 of the 17 publications considered conclude in stating that cured meats with nitrite preservative additives exhibit these characteristics. (6)
1.3) ANSES, ongoing scientific evaluation.
ANSES(Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail) has already been commissioned by the relevant ministries (Solidarity and Health, Agriculture and Food, Economy and Finance) on 6/28/20 to assess the public health risks associated with the consumption of nitrites and nitrates.
One element of possible criticality is related to the non-negligible exposure of French citizens, as 63 percent of the population exceeds the consumption levels recommended by Santé Publique France (the transalpine ISS) of 150 grams of cured meats per week. The final ANSES report is expected by the end of June 2022.
2) Hams and cold cuts without nitrites and nitrates, the proposed measures
2.1) Schedule
Cured meat products-unheat-treated (e.g., cured and/or salted raw product), dry-cured, and other traditionally cured products-should be made nitrite- and nitrate-free as of 1.1.23.
All other charcuterie products-that is, heat-treated charcuterie products (e.g. ham, mortadella, pâtés, terrines, rillettes, sausages, tripe, etc.) will instead be able to change formula by 1.1.25.
2.2) Support for artisans and SMEs
The bill provides for the establishment of a fund to finance artisans, microenterprises and SMEs for training, the purchase of new machinery and the implementation of processes suitable for making nitrate- and nitrite-free meat products.
The state’s support for the development of the sector thus responds to the needs gathered on the ground by the Parliamentary Information Mission, which published its report on 13.1.21. (7) Thus, any plausible justification for opposing it is lost.
2.3) Other measures
The sustainable development of pig husbandry proposed in the bill includes other measures, aimed at:
– Support short supply chain, to encourage the raising of pigs with high animal welfare standards and higher quality meat,
– Encourage large-scale retail trade (GDO) to develop and promote nitrite-free meat product ranges as soon as possible,
– Better inform the consumer about these products. So as to help them understand the natural color of meats (less ‘pink’ without nitrites) and their shorter expiration date.
3) France, the next steps
3.1) Reactions of the sausage industry
FICT – Les Entreprises Françaises de Charcuterie Traiteur, the federation that associates some 300 charcuterie producers in France-had already hounded the operators of the Yuka app, with various legal actions aimed at preventing freedom of expression of thought on the health risks associated with nitrite additive inputs in hams and charcuterie. (8)
Its director Fabien Castanier says the French charcuterie industry already uses less nitrite, approx. 110 mg/kg, than the limits set by EU standards (150 mg/kg). Ninety percent of all French cured meats currently contain these additives, but some of the largest companies such as Herta (Nestle) and Fleury Michon are already experimenting with nitrite-free products.
3.2) Responses of civil society and government
Foodwatch, Yuka and the Ligue contre le cancer, who have been fighting for two years to ban these additives, welcomed the law as ‘A step forward that confirms that policymakers recognize that nitrite and nitrate additives pose a public health problem‘. Expressing regret for the time frame, which was not as short as hoped (also in view of the elections, set for 4.10.22).
Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie has already announced that he will await the opinion of Anses, in order to present his report to Parliament. In any case, within 12 months of the promulgation of the law, the government will have to adopt a decree where it will define timeframes and thresholds for the reduction of additives, within 18 months how to specifically label products with nitrites.
4) Hams and cold cuts without nitrites and nitrates, experiences and perspectives
4.1) France
Well beyond what the FICT director stated, both French industrial brands-Herta, Fleury Michon, Brocéliande, Madrange (Cooperl group), Salaisons Roches Blanches, André Bazin-as well as retail private labels have already expanded their offerings to nitrite-free cured meats over the past three years. Even easier on raw hams, as with Aoste (21 percent of the French market by value) and the Delpeyrat group.
TheÉcole nationale des industries du lait et de la viande (ENILV) in Aurillac in turn has been teaching traditional methods of processing meat without nitrites or nitrates for more than 20 years. Leading to the creation of more than 400 artisanal processing workshops that follow these techniques, such as the famous Noémie Calais or Maison Verot. As well as stimulating the evolution of Bayonne ham (2.7).
4.2) Italy
Italy is at the forefront of research on antimicrobials and antioxidants extracted from plant matrices that can be usefully applied to the preservation of meat products, as noted (10,11,12,13). First-generation functional ingredients included the use of vegetables with natural occurrence of nitrates which, as they turned into nitrites in meat, were only partially fit for purpose.
Instead, the solutions developed in recent years combine plant and botanical ingredients with antimicrobial and antioxidant action with enzymes and microbiological starters that can ensure the preservation of sausages under optimal conditions, without altering the organoleptic properties of their meat or requiring the use of nitrate sources. And this is the direction that people are beginning to look at at the EU level as well. (14)
5) Interim Conclusions
Fresh pork has very appreciable nutritional properties at affordable prices. (15) The investment in local animal husbandry, animal welfare and Omega-3 rations, but above all the elimination of antibiotics-with solutions already available, successfully developed in Italy itself (Algatan. See footnote 16)-is the premise for the evolution of the pig supply chain in the direction of quality.
Eliminating nitrites and nitrates is the necessary step to remove meat products from the increasingly neglected category ofultraprocessed foods to that of processed foods. All the better, if possible, with natural manufacturing processes in accordance with ISO/TS 19657. Consumers, the independent lever of any market, will only appreciate.
#WithoutAntibiotics, #WithoutNitrites. The future is present, just open your eyes.
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) Dario Dongo. Titanium dioxide in foods and supplements, stop from 7.2.22. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 21.1.22, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/sicurezza/biossido-di-titanio-in-alimenti-e-integratori-stop-dal-7-2-22
(2) Richard Ramos et al. Proposition de loi No. 4830, relative à l’interdiction progressive des additifs nitrés dans les produits de charcuterie. Assemblée Nationale. 12/21/21, https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/15/textes/l15b4830_proposition-loi.pdf
(3) Santarelli RL, Vendeuvre JL, Naud N, Taché S, Guéraud F, Viau M, Genot C, Corpet DE, Pierre FH. (2010). Meat processing and colon carcinogenesis: cooked, nitrite-treated, and oxidized high-heme cured meat promotes mucin-depleted foci in rats. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2010 Jul;3(7):852-64. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-09-0160
(4) The study cited in footnote 3 (Santarelli et al., 2010) was funded by IFIC, Institut du Porc. An interprofessional organization dealing with R&D in the swine livestock supply chain in synergy with the Ministries of Agriculture and Research
(5) European Commission. EU Decisions 2010/826 and 2021/741, regarding national provisions notified by Denmark concerning the addition of nitrites to certain meat products. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2021/741/oj/ita
(6) Crowe W, Elliott CT, Green BD (2019). A Review of the In Vivo Evidence Investigating the Role of Nitrite Exposure from Processed Meat Consumption in the Development of Colorectal Cancer. Nutrients. 2019 Nov 5;11(11):2673. doi: 10.3390/nu11112673
(7) Richard Ramos, Barbara Bessot-Ballot, Michèle Crouzet (2021). Rapport d’information (…) sur les sels nitrités dans l’industrie agroalimentaire. https://www.vie-publique.fr/rapport/278079-rapport-sur-les-sels-nitrites-dans-lindustrie-agroalimentaire
(8) Marta Strinati, Dario Dongo. Yuka app condemned in Paris for battles against nitrites and nitrates. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 10.6.21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/consum-attori/la-app-yuka-condannata-a-parigi-per-le-battaglie-contro-nitriti-e-nitrati
(9) Foodwatch, Yuka, La Ligue contre le cancer. Nitrites: une première avancée à l’Assemblée nationale et un Gouvernement qui freine. Communiqué de presse. 26.1.22, https://www.foodwatch.org/fr/communiques-de-presse/2022/loi-nitrites-une-premiere-avancee-a-assemblee-nationale-et-un-gouvernement-qui-freine/?cookieLevel=not-set
(10) Dario Dongo. Natural preservatives in meats. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 6.11.17, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/etichette/conservanti-naturali-nelle-carni
(11) Galiano Quartaroli. Antimicrobials from vegetable waste, University of Parma patent. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 5.7.19, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/tecnologia-alimentare/antimicrobici-da-scarti-vegetali-brevetto-università-di-parma
(12) Marta Strinati. Natural preservatives in meats, prickly pear. Study University of Catania. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 12/23/19, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/tecnologia-alimentare/conservanti-naturali-nelle-carni-il-fico-d-india-studio-università-di-catania
(13) Salvatore Parisi, Dario Dongo, Carmelo Parisi. Resveratrol, current knowledge and perspectives. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 10/27/20, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/integratori/resveratrolo-conoscenze-attuali-e-prospettive
(14) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Nitrite reduction in cured meats, work in progress in Brussels. THE ABC’S. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 1.10.21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/sicurezza/riduzione-dei-nitriti-nei-salumi-lavori-in-corso-a-bruxelles-l-abc
(15) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Fresh pork, nutritional properties and health benefits. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 6.6.20, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/salute/carni-suine-fresche-proprietà-nutrizionali-e-benefici-per-la-salute
(16) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Animal husbandry, algae and microalgae to prevent antibiotic use. Algatan. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 9.9.20, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/progresso/zootecnia-alghe-e-microalghe-per-prevenire-l-uso-di-antibiotici-algatan
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
