As experts call for a ban on cancer-causing additives used in processed meats, foodservice businesses are urged to engage with an issue of growing concern to consumers. By Nick Hughes.
Smoked or unsmoked? Streaky or back? And most crucially of all: red sauce, brown sauce or no sauce at all? We all have our view of what constitutes the perfect bacon sandwich (the correct answer is smoked, back with red sauce) but some experts would have us add another layer to the question – with or without nitrites?
A new coalition of scientists and politicians is calling on the UK Government to ban the use of nitrites, additives that are commonly added to processed meats like bacon and ham to preserve their colour, flavour and shelf life, as evidence grows of their link to cancer.
Calling themselves the Coalition Against Nitrites, the group includes three former World Health Organisation (WHO) experts, world-renowned nutrition expert Professor Walter Willett from Harvard University, and Professor Chris Elliott from Queen’s University Belfast who led the UK Government’s review into the 2013 horsemeat scandal.
Their message is clear: nitrites have been strongly linked to the formation of nitrosamines in the stomach – compounds associated with the development of bowel cancer. As such their use as a processing aid should be banned according to the group that also includes politicians spanning seven UK political parties.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) disagrees, noting how nitrites have undergone a rigorous safety assessment prior to being authorised and pointing to their function in limiting the growth of bacteria that cause the life-threatening illness botulism.
‘Full English’ debate
This may seem like a niche, scientific kerfuffle to food businesses – the kind of detail poured over by health agencies and expert committees with unpronounceable names but of little interest to customers. But think of the ubiquity of bacon in the hospitality sector – the morning bap at a festival or event; the linchpin of the full English breakfast; an essential (for some) component of a hunger-busting burger. Then consider polling conducted by JL Partners for the Coalition Against Nitrites which found over two-thirds (69%) of the British public want nitrites to be banned from being used in processed meats, with only 9% opposed.
Alternatives to nitrites do exist – the Northern Irish food manufacturer Finnebrogue has carved out a market niche with its Naked branded bacon, prominently labelled as ‘nitrite-free’ on retail packs, which uses fruit and vegetable extracts to maintain a pink appearance. Yet over 90% of bacon sold in Britain is still thought to contain nitrites. (Nitrites are also widely used to give European sausages their distinctive red colour but are generally not used to produce traditional UK sausages.)
If the dangers to health are as severe as experts claim – and the level of risk to consumers remains contested – then actions by food businesses to voluntarily remove nitrites, or source nitrite-free products, could have a marked benefit for public health. It could also provide an advantageous point of difference for hospitality sector operators if the public polling is an accurate reflection of consumer sentiment (psychologists might caution that if you tell the public something is harmful they are likely to support it being banned).
Processed meat under pressure
Moderating processed meat consumption is a key pillar of dietary advice from international health authorities. In 2015, the WHO classified processed meats as a group 1 (scientifically proven) carcinogen, with a particular risk of causing bowel cancer. The UK Government now recommends limiting consumption of these products to 70g per day for adults.
High levels of salt and saturated fat also contribute to the risks associated with high consumption of processed meats, but speaking to Footprint Chris Elliott says the presence of nitrites is the single biggest risk factor. A 2022 study by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety confirmed a link between the risk of cancer and nitrites in processed meats and recommended limiting dietary exposure. More recently, a 2023 review by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) found levels of exposure to nitrite-causing nitrosamines are a health concern for people of all ages.
The debate surrounding nitrites isn’t simply one of harm however; indeed there is general agreement that a high level of exposure to nitrites is harmful to health, which is why EU and UK legislation sets out the acceptable conditions of use, the foods in which they may be used and maximum permitted levels.
A bigger bone of contention is whether they are needed in the first place. The FSA continues to view nitrites as important preservatives. James Cooper, deputy director of food policy at the FSA, says there is “strong scientific evidence that they hinder the growth of harmful organisms, in particular the bacteria responsible for botulism which can be life-threatening”.
Cooper adds: “They are one of the ways manufacturers can choose to protect against growth of these harmful organisms. Other methods include using salt, other food additives or a shorter use-by date, or a combination of factors, depending on the product.”
Elliott, however, points to a 2019 report commissioned by the British Meat Processors Association and reported by The Observer newspaper which found no evidence that nitrites provide extra protection against botulism. Researchers tested both nitrite-free and nitrite-cured samples of bacon and ham and found no significant growth of the toxin Clostridium botulinum in either.
EU shift
The Coalition Against Nitrites has seized upon a tightening of EU rules to push the case for stronger action on nitrites. From October 2025, the maximum permissible levels of nitrites added during the manufacturing of meat products will be reduced by almost half. This stops short of the full ban the coalition is calling for; Elliott however describes it as a “very positive step forward” and suggests there is a groundswell of political support within the EU for an outright ban.
He believes the EU’s tougher line on nitrites will ultimately force the UK authorities into reviewing their own position, particularly in light of the recent agreement to harmonise food standards between the two trading blocs to reduce barriers to trade.
Cooper at the FSA notes only that “the safety of food additives is kept under review”.
While the FSA continues to prevaricate, the food industry looks set to seize the initiative. The Grocer reported that British ham and bacon producers plan to voluntarily cut the use of nitrites to fall in line with the new EU rules.
Elliott expects the domestic meat sector to continue to reduce its reliance on the additives over time. “What we now know is the major meat processors in the UK all produce some variant of nitrite-free bacon”, a trend he says is “driven by market opportunity”.
Retailers like M&S and Waitrose have led the charge in selling nitrite-free bacon and while the foodservice sector is behind the curve – “keeping its head down” as Elliott puts it – pressure will surely grow on businesses to engage with the issue as the retail market shifts. “We’re doing quite a lot of lobbying with some of the main retailers with the hope that one or more will actually go nitrite-free over the next couple of years,” says Elliott. “People are looking at what is the commercial advantage of this.”
With or without nitrites? Should Elliott and his coalition colleagues have their way, this element of what constitutes the perfect bacon sandwich will soon become irrelevant.
