Leading experts are urging for a prohibition on supermarket bacon and ham due to concerns over the chemicals used in their production, which have been associated with over 50,000 cases of bowel cancer in the UK. Nitrites, additives utilized to maintain the pink color and extend the shelf life of processed meats, are estimated to be responsible for approximately 5,400 cases yearly, with each patient’s treatment costing around £59,000 and totaling £3 billion for the NHS over the past decade. This alert follows the classification by the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen, placing it in the same high-risk category as tobacco and asbestos. Despite these known risks, little action has been taken by ministers to reduce public exposure, according to Professor Chris Elliot OBE, founder of the Institute for Global Food Security and former government advisor.
Professor Elliot emphasized the lack of governmental efforts to minimize exposure to nitrites, which are responsible for the color and preservation of these products but also give rise to nitrosamines, compounds known to initiate cancer. Each year of inaction results in more preventable cancers, impacting more families and straining the NHS further. The scientists highlight the significant human and financial toll caused by the continued use of nitrites, advocating for immediate measures to prevent additional avoidable cancers. Their findings, based on information from Cancer Research UK and the British Journal of Cancer, underscore the hidden expenses associated with the UK’s reliance on processed meats.
In a proactive move, the experts have written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, urging for the banning of nitrites in processed meats. They have also contacted the European Union’s health and food safety commissioner, calling for similar actions, while acknowledging the EU’s efforts to reduce permitted nitrite levels. A groundbreaking report from 2015, drawing data from over 800 studies, revealed that the consumption of 50g of processed meat daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. The experts point out that it is the combination of nitrites and processing techniques used in meats like bacon, ham, and sausages that generates carcinogenic compounds. It is estimated that up to 90% of bacon sold in the UK contains nitrites, which have been associated with bowel, prostate, and breast cancer.
Professor Robert Turesky from the University of Minnesota, a contributor to the original WHO report, emphasized that the evidence supporting the carcinogenic nature of processed meats is stronger now, a decade after the report’s publication. He stressed the need for public health actions to address the mounting evidence of preventable cancers.
Scientists are urging the Health Secretary to permit clear labeling on the front of processed meat packaging to warn consumers about nitrite-cured products and their cancer risks. In the long run, they are advocating for the phasing out of nitrites, supported by regulatory measures to ensure compliance, as well as funding to assist smaller producers in transitioning to safer alternatives. Currently, nitrite-free meat, marketed as “naked” bacon, constitutes only 5-10% of the market share.
Bowel cancer ranks as the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with approximately 44,000 new cases annually and 142,000 in the US. Warning signs include alterations in bowel habits, such as persistent diarrhea or constipation, a sense of incomplete emptying, and blood in the stool. Other symptoms to watch for include stomach pain, bloating, unexplained weight loss, and fatigue.