Government urged to ban most supermarket bacon after study reveals link to over 50,000 cancer cases
Researchers called for clear front-of-pack warnings on nitrite-cured products clearly signposting the cancer risk to consumers.
Scientists have called on the govermnet to ban mass produced supermarket bacon and ham after a study revealed they contained chemicals linked to more than 50,000 bowel cancer cases.
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A group of leading scientists have raised the alarm about the dangers of processed meat, warning 5,400 bowel cancer cases each year in the UK are caused by consuming the products.
They have called for the government to ban nitrates – preservatives used in their production – claiming ministers have done “virtually nothing” to reduce the public's exposure to the chemicals.
In a letter to the Health Secretary, We Streeting, the researchers called for clear front-of-pack warnings on nitrite-cured products clearly signposting the cancer risk to consumers.
They also called for a long-term plan to phase out nitrite from all processed meats sold in Britain alongside additional funding to help local producers swap to healthier alternatives.
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The experts argue consumption of processed meat has put a huge strain on the NHS and come at a costly financial burden of £3 billion over the past decade.
Their warning comes 10 years after a study by the World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) ) classified processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen.
That puts it the same category as cigarettes and asbestos.
Professor Denis Corpet, of Toulouse University, one of the authors of the 2015 report, accused ministers of a “dereliction of duty”.
“For a decade, we have known that nitrite-cured meats cause cancer, yet failed to act. That is not just complacency, it is a dereliction of duty.
“When safer alternatives exist, continuing to expose people to preventable carcinogens is indefensible from any public health perspective.”
Professor Chris Elliott OBE, founder of the Institute for Global Food Security and a former government adviser, said: “A decade on from the WHO report, the UK Government has done virtually nothing to reduce exposure to nitrites - the curing agents that make these products pink and long-lasting but also create nitrosamines, compounds known to trigger cancer.
“Every year of delay means more preventable cancers, more families affected, and greater strain on the NHS.”
The WHO’s 2015 study analysed data from over 800 studies and revealed that for every 50g of processed meat eaten a day, the risk of colorectal cancer surged by 18 per cent.
Professor Robert Turesky, of the University of Minnesota, who was also involved int the WHO report, said: “When the IARC report was published in 2015, evidence linking processed meat to cancer was strong. A decade later, it is even stronger, and many preventable cancers have likely occurred. The evidence now calls for public health action.”
Researchers say the combination of nitrates and methods in the production of meats such as bacon, ham and sausages, creates carcinogenic compounds when consumed.
Nitrite-free bacon and ham is sold in supermarkets but only accounts for 5-10 percent of the market.
The Food Standards Agency says that “while nitrates and nitrites can form compounds called nitrosamines, many of which are carcinogenic, the link to serious health problems like cancer in humans remains inconclusive”.
It adds that there is “no evidence to suggest that processed meat made without the use of nitrates is a safer alternative”.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The Food Standards Agency have made clear that the link between nitrates and nitrites and cancer remains inconclusive. We are tackling unhealthy diets by restricting junk food advertising on TV and online, banning energy drinks for under 16s, and a new deal with food retailers to cut obesity and promote healthier diets.”