Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the public health impact of removing added nitrites from processed meats, including potential reductions in cancer incidence and pressures on NHS services.

No specific assessment has been made of the public health impact of removing added nitrates and/or nitrites from processed meats. An assessment has been made of the health impact of nitrates/nitrites more generally.

Government advice on red and processed meat consumption is based on the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition’s (SACN) report Iron and Health, published in 2010. This report concluded that red and processed meat intake is probably associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. The report considered nitrates and nitrites, which are preservatives that are added to some processed meats, as one of the plausible mechanisms for this association, and it concluded that the data did not support this, and noted that although such preservatives are permitted in processed meats, not all processed meats will contain these.

Based on the SACN’s conclusions, the Government advises that adults who regularly consume more than 90 grams per day of red and processed meat reduce their consumption to no more than the population average of 70 grams per day. This recommendation is also consistent with advice from the European Food Safety Authority in relation to safe levels for nitrites and nitrates added to meat. Intakes of red and processed meat are monitored through the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

All food additives used in food and drink in Great Britain have undergone a rigorous safety assessment before they were authorised.