Scientists are calling for cigarette-style health warnings on bacon and ham sold in the UK, arguing that chemicals used to cure the meat cause bowel cancer.
The demand comes a decade after the World Health Organization (WHO) classified processed meats as carcinogenic, alongside tobacco and asbestos. Despite this, experts say the government has done “virtually nothing” to reduce risks from nitrites, preservatives that give cured meats their pink colour.
Researchers estimate that government inaction has led to 54,000 bowel cancer cases in the past 10 years, costing the NHS £3bn. In a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, the Coalition Against Nitrites and several food safety experts urged mandatory warning labels and a gradual phase-out of nitrite use.
“Consumers deserve clear information,” said Prof Denis Corpet of Toulouse University. “Most people don’t realise the WHO classifies nitrite-cured meats in the same carcinogenic category as tobacco and asbestos.”
The WHO found that eating just 50 grams of processed meat daily increases bowel cancer risk by 18%. The World Cancer Research Fund also confirms the link, though it has stopped short of supporting warning labels, instead urging limited consumption and better access to healthy foods.
Prof Chris Elliott, a former government adviser, said delays in addressing the issue “mean more preventable cancers and more strain on the NHS.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson responded that evidence on nitrites and cancer “remains inconclusive,” citing advice from the Food Standards Agency.
