EU victory for organic sector

News that the European Commission will not move to ban the use of nitrates and nitrites in the processing of organic cured meats has been welcomed by UK organic control body Organic Farmers & Growers.
The issue had been under discussion for more than two years, with the aim of taking sodium nitrite and potassium nitrate out of the list of permitted additives for use in organic products, but has now been taken off the EU agenda for the time being.

There had been concern within the organic sector that no safe alternative to nitrate and nitrites for curing meats was available.
“There was a serious food safety issue here. While we prefer to see as few additives as possible in organic products, safety must come first and unless a proven alternative can be found, sodium nitrite and potassium nitrate will have to remain available to those curing organic meat,” says Richard Jacobs, chief executive of Organic Farmers & Growers.

The European Commission retains the right to remove any additive from the list of those permitted at any time, but does not envisage revisiting this issue for three to five years, says Defra, unless new, proven alternatives can be found.