The European faction of NSC is standing up for the smoked sausage. The attack on the delicacy has been launched because there are certain health risks associated with aromas that are added for taste. These may be banned by the European Food Safety Authority (ESFA).
“Act normal. This is the ax to the root that people still take Europe seriously,” says NSC faction leader for the European elections Dirk Gotink.
Although the name suggests otherwise, smoked sausages have not been smoked for a long time. A special aroma gives the snack a certain smoky taste. The substance is also used in the production of barbecue flavored chips and smoked chicken. “The specific substances for smell and taste are concentrated and can be added in doses. Smoking itself is more difficult to control. This has to be at a certain temperature and takes more time,” says Wieke van der Vossen of the Nutrition Center The Telegraph.
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However, research by EFSA shows that aromas may be bad for your health. There are a total of eight flavorings on the European market, which are authorized for ten years. For all these aromas, ‘concerns about gene toxicity’ cannot now be excluded, concludes Wim Mennes, chairman of the EFSA working group on flavours. “This means that it can damage your DNA, which can result in cancer,” Van der Vossen explains in the newspaper.
No immediate danger
According to the Nutrition Center, people who occasionally eat smoked sausage are not in any acute danger. In addition, the risk of harmful effects occurring as a result of eating smoke flavoring has not been investigated at all by the ESFA. Yet it is reason enough for the European Commission to perhaps ban smoke flavoring. In that case, producers must look for a different method.
It makes NSC faction leader Gotink roll his eyes. “They can’t prove it’s harmful, so they just say, let’s not do it. We still get in the car, we still go on winter sports. We do things that are part of it and can be dangerous. So stop this.”
Gotink calls public health an important theme. “But let’s not pretend that the Dutch eat five smoked sausages a day. Let’s keep doing normal.”
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By: Michiel van Renselaar