Why are you still eating bacon, ham and sausages?

This month, new European Union rules limiting the use of nitrites in processed meats came into force — a long-awaited and welcome advance in food safety.

The science linking nitrite-cured meats to cancer is more compelling than ever.

The EU’s decision to reduce permitted levels should be recognised as an important act of public-health leadership. But it should not be the end of the story.

The evidence shows that any exposure to these additives carries avoidable risk.

If the EU wants to remain a global leader in food safety and disease prevention, it must now go further and faster toward phasing out nitrites altogether.

Ten years ago, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified processed meat — including nitrite-cured bacon, ham and sausages — as a Group 1 carcinogen, placing it alongside tobacco and asbestos.

The underlying mechanism is well understood: when nitrites are used in curing, they can react with compounds in meat to form nitrosamines, chemicals that damage DNA and can trigger tumour growth.

Since that landmark ruling in 2015, the evidence has only strengthened.

In 2022, researchers at Queen’s University Belfast demonstrated a strong association between dietary nitrites and the development of intestinal tumours in controlled animal studies.

Earlier this month, a large human study from Seoul National University reported that women who consumed processed meats at least once a week had a 57-percent higher risk of developing breast cancer.

False 'botulism' claim

For years, some industry groups have argued that reducing or removing nitrites could risk outbreaks of botulism.

That claim is not supported by the evidence.

A confidential report commissioned by the British meat industry, revealed by The Guardian in 2019, found that modern refrigeration, hygiene and processing standards make such a risk extremely remote.

In practice, many European producers already make nitrite-free cured meats safely at scale. There has not been a single recorded botulism outbreak linked to these products in Europe for decades.

Food safety and innovation are not in conflict; they can and do coexist. Europe’s new limits are scientifically justified and will save lives. By tightening maximum permitted nitrite levels in processed meat, the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority have aligned regulation with contemporary science and consumer expectation.

This is an example of the EU’s precautionary principle working as it should: responding to credible risk before it becomes a larger public-health crisis.

But the job is not finished.

Cancer from dietary carcinogens is not a theoretical concern — it is a measurable burden on European health systems.

According to the Joint Research Council, colorectal cancer is now the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in Europe, and diet is a major contributor.

Phasing out nitrites altogether would represent one of the simplest and most effective preventive interventions available.

The technology already exists and several companies across Europe are proving it works. The EU has the chance to lead the world in evidence-based food policy.

At least label it

The next step should be a clear roadmap for the complete elimination of nitrites from processed meat within a defined timeframe, coupled with targeted support for small and medium-sized producers to adopt safer curing methods.

Consumers should also be informed.

Introducing transparent front-of-pack labelling, similar to that used for tobacco and other Group 1 carcinogens, would allow citizens to make informed choices about risk.

Recent polling across Europe shows strong public support for such measures when the science is explained clearly.

The past decade has shown that science alone does not drive change, political courage does.

Researchers have done their part by providing clear, consistent evidence. Now policymakers must match that with decisive action.

The EU’s new rules are a good beginning, but they should be viewed as the first stage of a broader transition, from tolerance of a known carcinogen to elimination of it.

If Europe leads, others will follow. Ten years after the WHO’s warning, the path forward is clear: reduce, replace, and remove nitrites from the processed meat food chain.

The scientific consensus is increasingly clear safer alternatives are available and the public are ready. The only question is how quickly governments are willing to act.

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