Scientists are calling for cigarette-style cancer warnings on bacon and ham in the UK, saying that chemicals used in their production increase the risk of 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 risk category as tobacco and asbestos. Researchers say the UK government has done “virtually nothing” since then to reduce public exposure to nitrites, preservatives added to cured meats to extend shelf life and maintain their pink colour.
According to experts from the Coalition Against Nitrites, this inaction has led to an estimated 54,000 bowel cancer cases and cost the NHS about £3bn over the past 10 years.
In a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, the scientists urged the government to mandate health warnings on packaging for nitrite-cured meats and to phase out the chemicals from food production within a few years.
“Consumers deserve clear information,” said Prof Denis Corpet of Toulouse University, one of the WHO researchers. “Nitrite-cured meats are in the same carcinogenic category as tobacco and asbestos.”
While the World Cancer Research Fund agrees that eating processed meat raises bowel cancer risk, it stopped short of supporting warning labels. Instead, it called for stronger dietary guidance and healthier food options in public institutions.
The Department of Health and Social Care responded that the Food Standards Agency maintains the evidence linking nitrites and cancer is still inconclusive.
