Scientists are calling for cigarette-style health warnings on packets of bacon and ham, warning that chemicals used in their production can cause bowel cancer.
The demand comes a decade after the World Health Organization (WHO) classified processed meat as carcinogenic to humans—placing it in the same category as tobacco and asbestos. Experts say British governments have done “virtually nothing” since then to curb the use of nitrites, which give processed meats their pink colour and longer shelf life.
According to scientists from the Coalition Against Nitrites, government inaction over the past 10 years has contributed to an estimated 54,000 bowel cancer cases in the UK, costing the NHS around £3bn.
Four scientists involved in the original WHO research, alongside food safety experts, have written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, urging him to introduce mandatory warning labels and to phase out nitrite use in meat production.
“Consumers deserve clear information,” said Prof Denis Corpet of Toulouse University. “Most people don’t realise that nitrite-cured meats like bacon and ham are in the same carcinogenic category as tobacco.”
The WHO previously reported that eating just 50 grams of processed meat daily increases bowel cancer risk by 18%.
While the World Cancer Research Fund agrees that processed meat raises cancer risk, it stopped short of supporting warning labels, instead calling for stronger dietary guidance and healthier food options in schools and public settings.
Prof Chris Elliott, a former government food adviser, said: “Every year of delay means more preventable cancers, more families affected and greater strain on the NHS.”
A Department of Health spokesperson responded that the link between nitrites and cancer remains “inconclusive” according to the Food Standards Agency.
