The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is gathering feedback from academics and the general public on the evaluation of nitrites and nitrosamines in food and the potential danger. According to the health body, some nitrosamines are genotoxic – meaning they may damage DNA – and can cause cancer. 

EFSA has made available to the public its draft opinion and will seek public collaboration until November 22.  

“The assessment concludes that it is highly likely that dietary exposure to nitrosamines is above the level that could indicate a health concern for all age groups,” an EFSA spokesperson tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“The contribution of specific foods to the exposure depends on the amount eaten and the concentration of the compound in the food. Considering these two aspects, “meat and meat products” resulted to be the main food category contributing to the exposure to nitrosamines in all age groups.”  

Nitrosamines are chemical compounds that can form in food as a consequence of food preparation and processing. It is found primarily in cured meat products but also in processed fish, cocoa, beer and other alcoholic beverages, according to EFSA.

“The chemicals may also be present in a variety of other foods such as cooked meat, processed vegetables, cereals, milk and dairy products, or fermented, pickled and spiced foods,” explains the health body.

Conservative approach
EFSA states that its assessment results need to be considered in a conservative manner when documenting uncertainties.

“EFSA’s assessment results for the worst-case scenario may indicate a health concern. For the assessment, the carcinogenic potency of the most potent nitrosamine (N-nitrosodiethylamine, or NDEA) was applied to the other carcinogenic nitrosamines found in food and the nitrosamines formation during cooking of unprocessed meat and fish was taken into account,” notes the spokesperson.

EFSA considered the incidence of tumors in rodents to carry out the assessment.

“One of the scenarios included, besides the contribution of processed and cured meat to the exposure, also the contribution of cooked unprocessed meat linked to the generation of nitrosamines during cooking,” EFSA adds.

“It is to be noted that “meat and meat products” was the only food category for which data were available for all the ten carcinogenic nitrosamines; data gaps were identified and recommendations were made about the need for collecting occurrence data of nitrosamines in various food categories across the EU,” the spokesperson underscores.

According to EFSA, the body welcomes comments on its draft opinions from all interested parties and all comments received will be considered in forming the EFSA’s final opinion. 

“We are interested in receiving feedback on all aspects of our opinion, particularly on the exposure assessment scenarios used, to reduce uncertainty in calculating exposure through the diet. The uncertainty is due to the high proportion of occurrence results below the limits of quantification and the limited availability of data for the dietary exposure assessment of nitrosamines,” explains EFSA. 

Companies spearhead nitrite removal
Even if nitrites and nitrosamine are allowed as food preservatives, companies are proactively making efforts. 

Earlier this year, researchers from the American Chemical Society developed a color-changing film that consumers can stick onto foods and quickly analyze nitrite levels by snapping a picture with a smartphone.

Meanwhile, Vaess has eliminated nitrite from its bacon products with a brine compound.

Nitrite, according to Vaess, can be recognizable by the E250 label on the packaging. “E250 could form carcinogenic nitrosamines in your body, and is already prohibited in baby- and children’s food (up to six months of age), and not recommended for pregnant women,” explained Coen Van Oorschot, commercial director of the company.

Vaess is not the first company to create nitrite-free bacon, as Naked Bacon achieved that already in 2018. One year earlier, in 2017, EFSA evaluated the safety of nitrites and nitrates, noticing high nitrosamine levels in meat products, however, the body did not have at the time “sufficient information to link these levels to nitrites intentionally added to food.”

Last year, Japanese researchers found that resveratrol from the country’s knotweed holds the potential to replac nitrate preservatives. 

Japanese knotweed is a fast-growing plant often feared by homeowners for its ability to invade gardens.