Reference summary — not medical advice or a personal risk estimate.
Pickled vegetables (traditional Asian)
Quick answer
Classified as Group 2B — possibly carcinogenic, based on limited evidence in humans, alongside stronger evidence in animals. Eaten. Traditional Asian-style pickled vegetables prepared with high salt and fermentation, where they are dietary staples (parts of East and Southeast Asia).
Summary
Traditional Asian-style pickled vegetables are associated with increased upper-GI cancer risk.
Detail
Traditional Asian-style pickled vegetables, prepared with high salt and fermentation, are listed by IARC as Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic). Limited evidence links them to cancers of the esophagus, stomach and nasopharynx in regions where they are dietary staples.
What's not established
This classification means the evidence is limited: either limited evidence in humans, or sufficient evidence in animals without enough human data. It does not establish that this factor causes cancer in people, a safe exposure threshold, or your personal risk from a given level of exposure.
Regional relevance
regional
Documented in these products
Presence in a product category doesn't imply the product causes cancer. Click each to see the source and context.
Evidence sources
Every claim on this page traces back to one of these. Click through to read the primary document yourself.
Primary sources
IARC
IARC Monographs — Classifications by Cancer Site, Vols 1–140
Supporting sources
WCRF/AICR
WCRF/AICR — Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer: a Global Perspective (Third Expert Report)
WCRF/AICR
WCRF — Cancer Prevention Recommendations
Last reviewed: October 2026
Official reference list
A government list some readers use alongside the primary evidence. Meyron is not affiliated with it. A chemical being listed does not by itself describe a risk from any particular product.
- California Prop 65 list
State of California's list of chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm.