Leading scientists have urged the UK government to introduce cigarette-style health warnings on packets of bacon and ham, warning that chemicals used in their production can cause bowel cancer.
Their call comes a decade after the World Health Organization (WHO) classified processed meat as carcinogenic to humans, placing it in the same risk category as tobacco and asbestos. Despite that, experts say successive governments have done “virtually nothing” to limit nitrite use in meat processing.
Nitrites, added to most bacon and ham to preserve colour and flavour, can form nitrosamines, compounds known to trigger cancer. Scientists estimate that government inaction since 2015 has led to 54,000 cases of bowel cancer in the UK, costing the NHS about £3bn.
In a letter to health secretary Wes Streeting, the Coalition Against Nitrites – including several scientists who contributed to the original WHO finding – called for mandatory health warnings and a phased ban on nitrites in processed meat.
“Consumers deserve clear information,” said Prof Denis Corpet of Toulouse University. “Most people don’t realise the WHO classifies nitrite-cured meats like bacon and ham in the same carcinogenic category as tobacco and asbestos.”
The World Cancer Research Fund confirmed that evidence linking processed meat to bowel cancer is strong, though it stopped short of supporting warning labels. Instead, it recommended stricter dietary guidelines and greater access to healthy foods.
The Department of Health and Social Care said it was reviewing the issue, adding that the Food Standards Agency considers the evidence connecting nitrites to cancer “inconclusive.”
