Carcinogens: What boards and risk leaders in the Food & Beverage industry need to know in 2026

Carcinogens in food and beverages are no longer solely a public health issue; they represent a growing regulatory, litigation, and insurance challenge for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers across Australia and globally.

Insurers have responded by restricting or excluding carcinogen driven recall and liability, prompting bespoke endorsements and tighter wordings.

Carcinogens are found in a wide range of products:

• Red meat & processed meats:
  • Processed meats (e.g., ham, bacon, salami) are classified as Group 1 carcinogen (definite cause of cancer), whilst Red Meat is considered Group 2A (probably carcinogenic). Recommended that no more than 455g of cooked lean red meat is consumed per week.
  • Processing (curing/smoking) and high heat cooking can form cancer causing N-nitroso compounds.
• High heat cooking: Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) form when meat is pan fried or grilled. PAHs increase with open flame smoke exposure, marinating, and lower temperature slow cooking.
• Acrylamide: Form in carbohydrate rich foods at high temperatures. While human evidence is limited, FSANZ advises reducing exposure.
• Benzene: These can form in beverages when sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid co exist under heat and light.
• Aflatoxins: Found in nuts and grains (e.g. peanuts, pistachios) and often considered to be unavoidable, but manageable. Two recalls have occurred in Australia as a result of imported peanuts and pistachios due to the presence of aflatoxins¹.
• Alcohol: Classified as Group 1; and is linked to no less than seven types of cancer. There is no safe level of consumption for cancer risk. Drinking even small amounts of alcohol increases the risk of most alcohol-related cancers².

Real recalls keep happening

As consumers move towards a more heavily processed diet, we have seen a rise in the number of cases of carcinogens in our foods. Carcinogens are now being detected in many foodstuffs, processed foods, meats and beverages in the form of dyes and other additives. This has given rise to a significant number of claims across a broad range of products³.

• Beverages: Globally, in 2024, four drinks were recalled from market because they contained non-disclosed food dyes linked to cancer risk. The dyes contained benzidine, a known carcinogen.
• Bread: In 2025, a popular brand of bread was recalled from market due to the presence of undeclared milk, and also benzene - a known carcinogen, linked to a synthetic colour agent used in its production.
• Peanut butter: In 2025, two private label peanut butter products were recalled from the market due to the presence of aflatoxin, a toxic chemical linked to liver cancer. Aflatoxins commonly develop in peanuts, corn, and tree nuts when they are produced and stored in warm tropical conditions that promote mould growth.

Insurance market reality

• Standard contaminated products/recall policies frequently exclude carcinogens or heavily restrict cover (e.g., restrictive bodily injury coverage).
• Several markets now offer carcinogen endorsements with sub limits and specific triggers; however, the capacity and wordings do vary⁴.
• What’s typically needed to respond well: endorsements for carcinogenic contamination, government recall, third party recall, retailers’ withdrawal costs, adverse publicity, and careful integration with product liability and D&O for disclosure issues⁴.

How can Howden assist clients in reducing their exposure?

1. Understand the risk by identifying carcinogenic exposures throughout the supply chain, developing a quantifiable risk profile, and determining which exposures can be risk transferred.
2. Many clients are unaware that their insurance policies exclude carcinogens coverage altogether. By understanding the risk exposure, Howden will negotiate coverage which has been stress-tested against carcinogen claim scenarios across:
   •    Public & Product Liability
   •    Product Recall & Contamination
   •    Directors & Officers Liability
   •    Environmental Liability
3. Crisis readiness: Develop and stress-test product recall plans. In the event of a situation, it is critical that all employees know their roles and responsibilities, controlling the communication with leading PR firms, all whilst engaging with the supply chain to minimise impact to third parties.

What should boards and executives be asking themselves?

1. Do our insurance policies exclude or materially restrict carcinogen-related claims?
2. Have we mapped carcinogenic exposures (ingredient, process, storage, label) across our supply chain and processes?
3. Have we tested our recall and crisis response plans in the past 12 months?
4. What risk frameworks are in place to ensure that the business is compliant with the evolving FSANZ guidelines?

¹Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Peanut, pistachio and aflatoxins (November 2023) <https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-11/Peanut%20pistachio%20and%20aflatoxins.pdf> (accessed 15 May 2026)

²World Health Organization, Cancer <https://www.who.int/health-topics/cancer> (accessed 15 May 2026)
    National Cancer Institute, Carcinogens and Cancer Risk <https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances> (accessed 15 May 2026)

³Liberty Specialty Markets, Contaminated Products Insurance <https://www.libertyspecialtymarkets.com> (accessed 15 May 2026)
    Ceros, Interactive insurance content platform <https://view.ceros.com> (accessed 15 May 2026)

⁴Key Media, Insurance industry insights and reports <https://cdn-res.keymedia.com> (accessed 15 May 2026)
    AXA XL, Product recall and contamination insurance <https://axaxl.com> (accessed 15 May 2026)