While Canadians reach for their favourite BBQ flavoured chips and sauce their burgers, the European Union is moving to ban them.According to a European Commission report, cancer risks are linked to artificial smoke flavourings used in popular food items like potato chips, barbecue sauce, cheese, ham and processed meats like bacon and even salmon.They can also be added to foods that aren’t traditionally smoked, like soups and even candy.Consequently, EU member states including England have voluntarily agreed to phase out eight smoke floorings that use a process called ‘pyrolysis’ where wood is burned and the smoke purified with a variety of chemicals including styrene that are suspected to cause cancer in humans..The research linked the smoky flavourings to ‘genotoxicity’ — which is the ability of chemicals to cause gene damage and thus increase the risk of cancer and other inherited diseases.Due to those findings, the relevant authorities said they couldn’t establish a ‘safe level’ of human consumption.“The relevant decisions are based on scientific assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which concluded that for all eight smoke flavourings assessed, genotoxicity concerns are either confirmed or can’t be ruled out,” the report stated.The ban will phased in over five years starting next year.But European food manufacturers are warning it will cost ham and bacon producers as much as USD$32 billion alone, affecting 40% of pork production..Brits are also incensed at having to give up their beloved smoky bacon crisps.British Conservative MP Kevin Foster criticized the move, telling The Sun: “At a time when war is returning to Europe and serious economic challenges face us all, it is hard to believe anyone would think this ham-fisted move is a sensible one.”But that doesn’t mean those items will be banned in Canada or the US anytime soon. Unlike the EU, where substances — not just food — have to be proven safe before they can be approved; in North America they have to be proven harmful before they can be banned.No studies have shown that they are in humans, or in animals.But unlike traditional smoking, flavouring agents have no preservative qualities.The history of smoking foods like meats dates back to the paleolithic era — or Stone Age — and literally, the discovery of fire. Because cavemen lacked chimneys in their dwellings, they accidentally became aware of the preservative qualities of the process.Prior to widespread refrigeration, it became common for houses and farms to have smokehouses to preserve food. But with the advent of modern transportation and distribution, the need for smoking or even salting food has declined and there is considerable debate in scientific circles over whether it constitutes a health hazard..According to the US government’s National Institute of Health (NIH) rates of stomach cancer in countries like Slovenia and Hungary where smoking is still quite common are twice as high as the rest of the EU.“Epidemiological studies indicates a statistical correlation between the increased occurrence of cancer of the intestinal tract and the frequent intake of smoked foods,” it said.However, the Australian Cancer Council notes that the cancer risk of smoking cigarettes is 1,900% higher than eating smoked food.“It’s important to remember that cancer is complex and our individual risk can be influenced by a range of factors – including other cancer risks and our genetics,” it says on its website. “In the case of processed meat, the evidence suggests that the more you consume, the greater your risk. This means there is probably a safe level of processed red meat consumption. In contrast, there is no safe level of smoking.”
