Opinion of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) on the risks associated with the consumption of nitrites and nitrates
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT This document presents the opinion of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES), established from the work of its Working Group on “Risks associated with the consumption of Nitrites and Nitrates" (NiNa WG) and validated by its Expert Committees on “Assessment of the biological risks in foods” (CES BIORISK) and “Assessment of physico‐chemical risks in food” (CES ERCA). Following a request from the Directorate General for Health, the Directorate General for Food and the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control, ANSES was asked to deliver an opinion on the risks linked to nitrites and nitrates. Specifically, ANSES provided a scientific assessment associated with the following work themes regarding questions of (i) the impact of reducing nitrite/nitrate levels in foodstuffs on the fate of pathogenic bacteria in certain foods, (ii) the assessment of overall exposure to nitrates and nitrites from all sources in France and the proposal of actions that could help reduce this exposure, (iii) evaluating if new scientific knowledge could justify revisiting EFSA's ADIs/Health‐Based Guidance Values (HBGVs) for nitrates and nitrites, and (iv) better characterizing their link to human cancer risk from meat product consumption. The opinion first presents the substances of interest, their origin and the regulatory framework. Then this opinion sets out the conclusions of the microbiological risk for three foodborne pathogens associated with reducing nitrate/nitrite levels as additives in three types of cured meats. This is followed by a presentation of the conclusions relating to the assessment of the available epidemiological and toxicological data in the light of recent scientific data. Finally, this enables the characterization of the risk associated with ingested nitrates and nitrites after exposure has been estimated. The opinion provides recommendations to continue epidemiological studies to confirm or refute suspected relationships for certain cancers and to conduct experimental studies for the establishment of ADIs considering the combined exposure to nitrates, nitrites and nitroso compounds. Furthermore, reducing the population's exposure to nitrites and nitrates involves collective and individual measures. As part of collective measures, in addition to controlling the quality of water intended for human consumption, a relevant measure would be to reduce the use of nitrites in processed meat products while implementing strict compensatory measures to address microbiological risk. This opinion finally emphasizes the importance of individual measures, by adhering to recommendations for processed meat consumption, limiting it to 150g/week, and diversifying the consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Source: Food Risk Assess Europe
Authors: Marie‐Louise Scippo, Pierre‐Marie Badot, Gilles Bornert, Noémie Desriac, Florence Dubois‐Brissonnet, Abraham Escobar Gutierrez, Emmanuelle Kesse‐Guyot, Laïla Lakhal, Georges C. Lognay, Océane Martin, Régine Talon, Paule Vasseur, Bruno Le Bizec, Claude Atgié, Martine Clauw, Marie‐Yasmine Dechraoui Bottein, Nicolas Delcourt, Christine Demeilliers, Erwan Engel, Anne‐Sophie Ficheux, Jérôme Gay‐Queheillard, Petru Jitaru, Sonia Khier, Emilie Lance, Caroline Lanier, Michel Laurentie, Ludovic Le Hegarat, Nicolas Loiseau, Francesca Mancini, David Makowski, Eric Marchioni, Jean‐François Masfaraud, César Mattei, Anne Platel, Alain‐Claude Roudot, Yann Sivry, Philippe Fravalo, Frédéric Auvray, Mickaël Boni, Frédéric Carlin, Catherine Chubilleau, Steven Duret, Michel Federighi, Michel Gautier, Michèle Gourmelon, Stéphane Guyot, Nathalie Jourdan‐Da Silva, Renaud Lailler, Bertrand Lombard, Sandra Martin‐Latil, Jeanne‐Marie Membré, Eric Oswald, Pascal Piveteau, Nalini Rama Rao, Sabine Schorr‐Galindo, Muriel Thomas, Isabelle Villena, Catherine Chubilleau, Steven Duret, Michel Joyeux, Frédéric Lirussi, Damien Mouly, Marie‐Pierre Sauvant‐Rochat, Olivier Sorg, Frédérique Audiat‐Perrin, Morgane Bachelot, Sandrine Carrillo, Thomas Cartier, Aurore Coudray, Juliana De Oliveira Mota, Carine Dubuisson, Françoise Gauchard, Julie Gauvreau‐Beziat, Laurent Guillier, Sonia Poisson, Jean‐Cédric Reninger, Alexander Walsh, Keyvin Darney, Géraldine Carne, Nawel Bemrah
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4416317322