France's hugely popular charcuterie products - such as hams, cooked sausage and black pudding - are set to become slightly healthier with a sector-wide agreement to reduce the levels of salt and fat.
Manufacturers and artisans in France have unveiled new commitments to reduce salt by 5 percent on five charcuterie products and saturated fatty acids by 5 percent in a further 12 major product ‘families’ within five years.
The sector has been coming under growing pressure to adapt traditional production methods in the light of new evidence of the health risks of consuming too much salty, fatty charcuterie.
“There are often very high expectations or criticisms directed at charcuterie. It still represents 75 percent of the market for French pork, it is a heritage that must be preserved, but we strive to be as much in line as possible with societal expectations: health, pleasure, taste and food safety,” Christiane Lambert, president of the Fédération des entreprises Françaises de Charcuterie Traiteur (FICT) told AFP.
FICT has worked with the Confédération Nationale des Charcutiers Traiteurs (CNCT) to ensure these commitments apply to industrial manufacturers and small-scale producers who adhere to the same code of practice governing the composition and production of 450 products.
