Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to research by Queen's University Belfast ‘Dietary inclusion of nitrite-containing frankfurter exacerbates colorectal cancer pathology and alters metabolism in APCmin mice’, published in Nature on 28 December 2022, which found that the mean tumour count for mice fed a diet of processed meat containing nitrites "was 75% higher than the mean tumour count of the control group", what plans they have, if any, to introduce legislation concerning the use of nitrites in food production.

The use of Nitrates and Nitrites as food additives is regulated under retained European Union legislation and existing regulatory controls on their use is sufficiently protective of consumers. These additives are important preservatives, protecting consumers by hindering the growth of harmful organisms including Clostridium botulinum, which is responsible for botulism, a very serious foodborne disease.

The legislation sets out the acceptable conditions of use, the foods in which they may be used and where necessary, maximum permitted levels. Legislation also states that the level of use shall be set at the lowest level necessary to achieve the desired effect. The United Kingdom Government are not currently proposing to make any changes to existing controls following the publication of this research.