Scientists Urge UK Ban or Warnings on Nitrite Bacon

A coalition of leading scientists, including authors of the 2015 IARC report and members of the Coalition Against Nitrites, has written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting urging a ban on nitrites in processed meats or, alternatively, mandatory cigarette-style front-of-pack cancer warnings on bacon and ham and asking for support to help producers transition to safer alternatives. They note the WHO/IARC classifies processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen and say nitrite-cured products form nitrosamines that increase colorectal/bowel cancer risk. Using data from Cancer Research UK and the British Journal of Cancer, the scientists estimate about 5,400 bowel cancer cases a year (roughly 54,000 over the past decade) are linked to processed meat, costing the NHS about £3 billion. The group says 90–95% of UK bacon and ham packets contain nitrites and that nitrite-free alternatives comprise only a small share of the market. They describe successive governments' inaction as a public‑health failure and are urging rapid regulatory measures to prevent further avoidable cancers and health‑system costs.