Charcuterie boards will give you cancer

French scientists are here to ruin your next party.

French scientists are here to ruin your next party.

That grazing board you built for the girls? Yeah, it's probably going give you indigestion and cancer.

While nothing beats the likes on Insta a thicc spread with triple whipped goats cheese, $54 organic blueberries and more cured meats than seen on the sand at Lake Como right now generate, health officials are worried about our tummies.

You might want to hold off on adding so much salami and prosciutto, as French scientists have confirmed a link between the nitrates added to processed meat and colon cancer.

A 2015 report from the World Health Organisation announced that consumption of processed meat is “carcinogenic to humans (Group I).” 

The national food safety body of France, Anses said its study of new data published on the subject supported similar conclusions from the WHO.

Sodium nitrate, or nitrate, are often added to certain processed foods, such as cold cuts to extend shelf life and add flavour.

Anses “recommends reducing consumption of the range of nitrates and nitrites by deliberately limiting exposure through food consumption”, it said in a statement.

The French government immediately announced it would launch an action plan to reduce the use of the additives...later this year.

It comes as the 2015 WHO warning raised alarms worldwide and has been applied to all processed meats, from hot dogs, sausages, bacon, jerky, Italian salami and Spanish chorizo.

Public health policy and nutrition expert Professor Amanda Lee from the University of Queensland told The Oz the results of the study was “nothing new”.

“The link between colon cancer and processed meat is very clear, the evidence has been very convincing,” Professor Lee said.

She advised people to “be limited” in their consumption of processed meats and to eat more foods that are high in fibre to "balance out" and reduce their risks. 

High fibre foods include: wholegrains, “cereal things” like porridge, fruit and vegetables (including the skin!)

The Oz reached out to the Cancer Council for comment.