Does Nitrite Cause Cancer? Concerns About Validity of FDA-Sponsored Study Delay Answer

A recent study conducted for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicated that nitrite may cause cancer. Legislation provides that any substance determined to cause cancer in humans or animals may not be used as a food additive. This same legislation also states that a substantial unresolved question about the safety of a food additive is also a basis for its removal from use. For several years, nitrite has been used to preserve, color and flavor meat, poultry, and fish. It also protects against the formation of botulism toxin. FDA and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) are faced with a regulatory dilemma in that the use of nitrate protects consumers against one serious problem, and may cause another. Because nitrite is widely used, is important, and lacks an acceptable chemical substitute, FDA, with USDA concurrence, planned to phase out its use over several years. However, the Department of Justice determined that no authority exists for such a phase out and that removal of a cancer-causing substance may not be delayed.