Leading scientists are calling for cigarette-style cancer warnings on packets of bacon and ham sold in the UK, citing growing evidence that nitrites used in processed meats increase the risk of bowel cancer.
The appeal marks 10 years since the World Health Organization (WHO) classified processed meats as carcinogenic to humans in the same category as tobacco and asbestos. Despite this, experts say successive governments have done “virtually nothing” to curb the use of nitrites, which give processed meats their pink colour and long shelf life.
Researchers from the Coalition Against Nitrites, including four scientists involved in the original WHO finding, wrote to health secretary Wes Streeting urging the government to make warning labels mandatory and to phase out nitrite use within a few years. They claim that inaction has led to 54,000 cases of bowel cancer in Britain since 2015, costing the NHS £3bn.
“Most people don’t realise that the WHO classifies nitrite-cured meats like bacon and ham in the same carcinogenic category as tobacco and asbestos,” said Prof Denis Corpet of Toulouse University. “Ministers must act to protect public health.”
The World Cancer Research Fund confirmed there is “clear evidence” that eating processed meat increases colorectal cancer risk, though it stopped short of supporting graphic warning labels. Instead, it urged the government to reinforce advice to limit processed meat consumption and promote healthier food options.
Former government food safety adviser Prof Chris Elliott said, “Every year of delay means more preventable cancers, more families affected, and greater strain on the NHS.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson responded that the Food Standards Agency considers the link between nitrites and cancer “inconclusive.”
