Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 30 June (HL8217), whether they have considered the findings of more recent studies demonstrating nitrites as a plausible mechanism for the correlation of red and processed meat intake and an increased risk of cancer.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) considers that the existing levels of nitrites, approved food additives, provide sufficient protection for consumers. The FSA is aware of the changes made by the European Union, but has no plans to alter the maximum levels currently in legislation, because they remain important preservatives in a range of foods. As with all food additives, they have undergone safety assessments before authorisation and have been subject to various reviews both at a national and international level.

The FSA continues to keep new evidence under review as part of our rolling surveillance for previously authorised food additives. A review of the safety of nitrates and nitrites as food additives has been recently commissioned and will report back any significant changes in the supporting evidence base.

Current 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. More recent studies demonstrating nitrites as a plausible mechanism for the correlation of red and processed meat intake and an increased risk of cancer have not yet been considered by the SACN. However, the committee is due to consider the topic of iron, which will likely include an assessment of the risks and benefits in relation to red and processed meat consumption.

In relation to processed foods more broadly, the SACN’s April 2025 rapid evidence update on processed foods and health found that the categories of processed food consistently associated with adverse health outcomes, including cancer, included meat and animal products. The SACN therefore reiterated its existing advice on processed foods, including avoiding high intakes of red and processed meat.