Whether it’s a bacon bap for breakfast or a\u00a0ham sandwich for lunch, around one in five Britons eat a sandwich containing processed meat at least three times a week.<\/p>\n
It’s cheap, filling and tasty \u2013 but in recent years, research has revealed that preservatives\u00a0such as nitrates, which are added to make pork pinker and increase shelf life,\u00a0could cause deadly\u00a0cancers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Currently, up to 90 per cent of bacon and ham sold in the UK is thought to contain nitrites.<\/span><\/p>\n And this is why, since October 2015, it has been classified\u00a0<\/span>as a Group 1 carcinogen \u2013 placing it in the same risk category as tobacco and asbestos \u2013 by\u00a0the <\/span>World Health Organisation.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>As a result of rising health consciousness and online influencers encouraging people to check ingredient lists, supermarkets claim there is soaring demand for nitrite-free pork products.<\/p>\n This has prompted\u00a0many brands to expand their ‘naked’ \u2013 or nitrite\u2013free \u2013 selections.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Previously, nitrate-free options were hard to come by and came at a premium, such as Finnebrogue Naked Bacon, which costs around \u00a33.75 for six rashers.<\/span><\/p>\n But last month, Waitrose became the first major UK supermarket to launch a ‘Made Without Nitrites’ ham range, joining the retailer’s two existing nitrite-free bacon lines.<\/span><\/p>\n Up to 90 per cent of bacon sold in the UK is thought to contain nitrites, which have been linked to cancer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The products retail at\u00a0\u00a33.50 for six slices in ‘honey roast’ and ‘roast’ flavours.<\/span><\/p>\n Jonny Stevens, Meat, Fish & Poultry Buyer at Waitrose, says, ‘We know our customers are looking for a return to basics: simpler ingredients and cleaner labels, with zero compromise on that delicious deli taste.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ‘That’s why we’ve spent the last year perfecting our new nitrite-free ham range.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ‘By removing the preservatives without losing the flavour, we’re proud to be the first retailer to raise the bar for this British lunchtime staple \u2013 proving that ‘less is more’ when it comes to quality.’\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But just how healthy are these products \u2013 and should you make the switch?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n L<\/span>ast<\/span>\u00a0year, the Food Standards Agency issued a report saying there was ‘no evidence to suggest that processed meat made without the use of nitrates is a safer alternative.’<\/p>\n In ‘nitrate-free’ products, manufacturers\u00a0usually replace the preservative with celery juice powder or vegetable extracts, such as spinach or carob.\u00a0<\/p>\n These plants are naturally high in nitrates and are added alongside bacterial cultures that convert the plant nitrates into nitrites to cure the meat.\u00a0<\/p>\n Waitrose became the first major UK supermarket to launch a ‘Made Without Nitrites’ ham range<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Broadly speaking, many researchers would say these products are not necessarily meaningfully different from conventionally cured meats in terms of nitrite chemistry.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alternatively, some brands use fruit and spice extracts paired with sea salt.<\/p>\n Waitrose’s traditional British roast ham is 96 per cent pork, with added salt, stabilisers and an antioxidant, plus sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate as preservatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n The nitrite-free version has 94 per cent pork, salt, two antioxidants, water and ‘flavourings’. Both have dextrose, which is a sugar.<\/p>\n Preservatives replacing the nitrites are within the ‘flavourings’ and ‘antioxidants’, and differ between producers, Simona Grasso, a food scientist and lecturer at University College Dublin, told The Times<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Manufacturers may use ingredients such as acerola cherry extract, rosemary extract, green tea extract, vinegar powders and salt-based preservatives such as potassium lactate.<\/p>\n Some of these contain antioxidant compounds that may help reduce the formation of potentially harmful chemicals linked to cured meats.<\/p>\n However, experts say evidence that these alternatives are significantly safer remains limited.<\/p>\n The product launch comes after scientists called for a ban on supermarket bacon and ham after the chemicals used in their production were linked to more than 50,000 bowel\u00a0cancer<\/a> cases.<\/p>\n A coalition of leading scientists said the refusal to ban nitrites has come at a devastating human and financial cost, with the NHS<\/a>\u00a0footing an estimated \u00a33 billion bill to treat preventable cancers over the past decade.<\/p>\n Their analysis, based on figures from Cancer Research UK and the British Journal of Cancer, estimates that around 5,400 bowel cancer cases each year in the UK are caused by eating processed meats<\/a>. Treatment costs for each patient average \u00a359,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n They also call for a long-term plan to phase out nitrite use in all processed meats sold in the UK, backed by regulatory measures to ensure compliance, and funding to help smaller producers switch to safer alternatives.<\/p>\n The experts have also written to the European Union’s health and food safety commissioner, urging similar action, while acknowledging that the EU has already begun to reduce permitted nitrite levels.<\/p>\n Professor Elliott, who also led the Government’s investigation into the horsemeat scandal, said manufacturers should adopt natural curing alternatives already proven safe and effective.<\/p>\n He added: ‘Every year of delay means more preventable cancer, more families affected and greater strain on the NHS<\/a>.’<\/p>\n![\"Up](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/05\/19\/10\/108711981-15830027-image-a-2_1779181617833.jpg\")
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