Leading scientists join forces with cross-party political grouping and third-sector leaders in new Coalition Against Nitrites
A group of the world’s leading scientists have joined together with representatives from seven political parties, including a former UK health minister, to call for nitrites to be removed from processed meats.
In 2015, the World Health Organisation classified processed meats as a Group One carcinogen - the same classification as tobacco - and attributed 34,000 global cancer deaths a year to diets high in processed meats.
Now, a group of scientists, doctors and politicians are calling for the removal of nitrites from bacon and ham in order to make processed meats safer.
The Coalition Against Nitrites, a new non-profit organisation, launches today with the backing of three authors of that 2015 World Health Organisation report, a Harvard professor and the UK’s top food safety expert who led the Government’s investigation into the horse meat scandal.
Professor Walter Willett from Harvard University is regarded as the world’s most influential nutritionist and Professor Chris Elliott OBE is the founder of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast. They join three authors of the landmark 2015 report from the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer; Professor Paolo Vineis from Imperial College London, Professor Denis Corpet from Toulouse University and Professor Robert Turesky from the University of Minnesota.
Also among the supporters of the Coalition is former UK health minister Lord James Bethell, former shadow UK health minister Sharon Hodgson MP, DUP health spokesman Jim Shannon MP, Liberal Democrat Susan Murray MP, former Green Party leader Baroness Natalie Bennett, former deputy mayor of London Baroness Jenny Jones, former SDLP leader Baroness Margaret Ritchie and the French politician Richard Ramos MP, the leader of the anti-nitrite campaign in Paris.
Other signatories to the Coalition Against Nitrites include GP and bowel cancer survivor Dr Anisha Patel, the director general of the Safe Food Advocacy Europe campaign group, Floriana Cimmarusti, and CEO of Cancer Patients Europe, Antonella Cardone.
Lord James Bethell, a health minister in the last UK government, says removing nitrites from processed meats is a no-compromise measure that could reduce pressure on the National Health Service:
“Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with approximately 44,100 new cases diagnosed every year - the equivalent of 120 cases every day. As a former Health Minister, I know first hand the scale of the challenge this presents, both for the Government and for our NHS. The Health Secretary has made it clear he understands the importance of improving the UK’s approach to prevention. The removal of harmful food additives such as nitrites from processed meat, as recommended by the Coalition Against Nitrites, would be a good place to start.”
Sharon Hodgson MP, the former UK shadow health minister, commented:
“Knowing what we know today about the health risks of added nitrites, it’s time for a serious conversation about the safety of our food. Given the clear evidence linking nitrites in processed meats to bowel cancer, I’m happy to support the Coalition Against Nitrites.”
Professor Paolo Vineis from Imperial College London and co-author of the World Health Organisaton’s IARC report in 2015, commented:
“Given the overwhelming body of scientific evidence linking processed meat to the development of colorectal cancer, it is disappointing that governments and the food industry have not yet done more to reduce the risk these foods pose to human health. I would personally like to see a considerable reduction in the volume of processed meat consumed, but removing nitrites from products like bacon, ham and sausages would also be a positive step in improving the health of the population. As demonstrated by producers in my home country of Italy, it can be done.”
Professor Chris Elliott OBE, founder of the Institute for Global Food Security and a former adviser to the UK Government, commented:
“I have been a longstanding advocate for the removal of nitrites from processed meats and have engaged extensively with leaders in the food industry and policy making to make this case. While I welcome the progress made by some companies to remove these carcinogenic chemicals, much more needs to be done, particularly now it is clear they are not required to either prevent botulism or produce the delicious products so many of us love to eat. We know our diets and our health are intrinsically linked - and that our NHS is under severe pressure - so the Government should see banning nitrites from being added to processed meat as a policy intervention that, in time, could significantly improve the health of the nation, at no detriment to the taste, cost or appearance of a cornerstone of the British diet.”
Professor Walter Willet from the Harvard School of Public Health said:
“The link between nitrites in processed meats and cancer has been established for some time. The nitrites react with secondary amines in the meat during the cooking and ingestion processes to produce nitrosamines - and so they should not be used in products like bacon and ham. It is time for governments globally to step in and ban the use of these chemicals - or for food producers to make the right decision for human health and remove these dangerous chemicals themselves from their products.”
Professor Denis Corpet, formerly of Toulouse University and co-author of the World Health Organisaton’s IARC report in 2015, commented:
“The link between nitrites in processed meat and the development of colorectal cancer has been shown by research over a number of years to be highly likely. A significant proportion of the ham sold in my home country of France is now nitrite-free, so it has been proven possible to produce delicious charcuterie without the need for these chemicals. Governments should now restrict the use of nitrites in processed meats. Or, better still, food manufacturers should remove nitrites from their products, even before a ban comes into force.”
Professor Robert Turesky from the University of Minnesota and and co-author of the World Health Organisaton’s IARC report in 2015, commented:
“Nitrites are commonly added as preservatives to processed meats like bacon, ham and some sausages. During meat curing, nitrites can react with secondary amines in processed meat or during digestion in the stomach to form nitrosamines, chemicals linked to higher rates of stomach and colorectal cancers. Further research is needed to identify the specific compounds in processed meats contributing to these cancers. Advanced tools such as high-resolution mass spectrometry can detect nitrosamines formed during meat curing or under simulated stomach acid conditions. Regulatory agencies should ban the use of nitrites or nitrites contained in vegetables in the curing of processed meats.”
Dr Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and Jean Mayer Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, said:
“Removing nitrites from processed meats has the potential to have a significant positive impact on human health, given the extensive body of scientific evidence linking nitrite-cured meats to colorectal cancer. This includes hidden nitrites from celery or beet juices, obscured behind misleading labels like ‘uncured’ or ‘no added nitrites’.”
Antonella Cardone, CEO of Cancer Patients Europe, commented:
“Cancer Patients Europe fully supports the Coalition Against Nitrites in its effort to remove harmful nitrites from processed meats. With colorectal cancer claiming around 170,000 lives each year across Europe, we must act on the overwhelming scientific evidence linking nitrite-cured meats to this deadly disease. Reducing exposure to known dietary carcinogens is a vital step in cancer prevention—and one we can take now, without compromising food quality or choice.”
