Experts urge Government to ban supermarket bacon after link to 50,000 cancer cases

Researchers call for clear front-of-pack warnings

A group of leading scientists has warned about the dangers of processed meat, stating that consuming these products is responsible for around 5,400 cases of bowel cancer in the UK each year.

They are now urging the government to ban nitrates, the preservatives used in their production, claiming that ministers have done "virtually nothing" to reduce exposure to the chemicals, according to LBC.

In a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, the experts called for clear front-of-pack warnings on nitrite-cured products, making the cancer risk aware to consumers.

Additionally, they urge a long-term plan to be put in place in order to phase out nitrite from all processed meats sold in the UK, as well as additional funding to help local producers switch to healthier alternatives.

They went on to argue that consumption of processed meat has caused an additional strain on the NHS, resulting in a financial burden of £3 billion over the past decade.

A decade ago, a study by the World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) had already classified processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen, putting it in the same category as cigarettes and asbestos.

One of the authors of the 2015 report accused ministers of a "dereliction of duty".

Professor Denis Corpet (of Toulouse University) had said: "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," per LBC.

Researchers claim 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 are sold in supermarkets, yet they only make up approximately 5-10 per cent of the market.

However, the Food Standards Agency questions the claims made by researchers, saying: "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 concludes: "No evidence to suggest that processed meat made without the use of nitrates is a safer alternative."