Supermarkets Hit By Falling Demand For Nitrite-cured Bacon Due To Cancer Fears

UK supermarkets person been deed by a “bacon backlash” arsenic consumers fearfulness that chemicals utilized to sphere it summation nan consequence of cancer.

Campaigners against nan usage of nitrites successful nutrient accumulation claimed nan autumn successful income showed that a “consumer revolt” against nan traditional, nitrite-cured shape of bacon was gathering pace.

At nan aforesaid time, income of nitrite-free bacon – made by firms specified arsenic M&S, Waitrose and Finnebrogue – are rising, arsenic bacon-lovers take perchance safer alternatives.

In 2016, nan World Health Organization declared that processed meat, including bacon, was a cause of cancer, conscionable for illustration smoking and asbestos.

Since then, nan immense mostly of bacon sold successful nan UK has still been treated pinch nitrites, to thief support its pinkish colour. But campaigners said “a melodramatic marketplace shift” is nether way.

New information collected by user analysts Worldpanel by Numerator and published by nan Coalition Against Nitrites showed that nan worth of nitrite-cured bacon income fell by 7.3% during nan 12 weeks to 25 January compared pinch nan aforesaid play nan twelvemonth before. Consumers bought £238.4m of specified bacon successful nan astir caller period, down £18.7m from nan £257m of rashers bought a twelvemonth earlier.

Conversely, income of nan nitrite-free replacement roseate during that 4th to £9.4m, up 21.7% connected nan £7.8m seen successful nan aforesaid play a twelvemonth earlier.

A run spokesperson said: “£18.7m has been wiped disconnected nitrite-cured bacon income successful conscionable 3 months. That’s not a fluctuation, it’s a user revolt. Shoppers … do not want additives successful their food.”

Prof Chris Elliott, a starring nutrient information master who is portion of nan Coalition Against Nitrites, said: “Consumers are moving first, responding to nan overwhelming technological grounds linking nitrite-cured meats to crab and nan realisation that these chemicals simply don’t request to beryllium utilized to make nan bacon and ham that truthful galore of america emotion to eat.”

Labour, Conservative, Green, Liberal Democrat and Democratic Unionist MPs and peers backmost nan coalition’s run to seduce ministers to bid nan usage of nitrites successful nutrient to beryllium phased out.

Elliott added: “The usage of carcinogenic nitrites is progressively retired of measurement pinch nationalist expectations. This is nary longer a fringe issue. It is simply a mainstream marketplace correction, backed by cross-party governmental support.”

However, nan Food Standards Agency said nan link betwixt nitrites and wellness “remains inconclusive”.

Separate sets of figures from nan patient and NIQ, different income search company, besides showed that full income of nitrite-cured bacon person fallen to conscionable complete £1bn a year.

According to Worldpanel by Numerator data, bacon income fell by 4.9% twelvemonth connected twelvemonth successful nan twelvemonth to past November, down to a mixed worth of £1.03bn. However, income of bacon containing nary nitrites roseate complete that aforesaid play by 2.9% to conscionable complete £31m.

Rebecca Tobi, caput of nutrient business translator astatine nan Food Foundation thinktank, said: “Declining income of accepted cured bacon will beryllium bully for nan nation’s wellness successful nan semipermanent and nan emergence of nitrite-free intends that those who proceed to eat bacon person a healthier replacement available.

“A 3rd of nan nutrient we eat successful nan UK is processed, a fig that’s moreover higher successful children, contempt nan very beardown assemblage of grounds linking processed nutrient to a greater consequence of processing a number of chronic diseases, including bowel cancer.” “

Nick Allen, nan main executive of waste and acquisition assemblage nan British Meat Processors Association, said it was up to individual bacon producers to determine whether to usage nitrites aliases not.

“While nitrites play an important domiciled successful nutrient safety, nan eventual determination connected nan magnitude utilized successful different curing recipes rests not pinch nan processors, but pinch nan merchandise marque owners. Competing brands committee their own-label recipes, which tin beryllium rather varied.

“There has been important and ongoing activity by processors to trim nitrites successful cured pork products. Our producers have, complete respective years, been implementing caller methods to get nitrite usage arsenic debased arsenic imaginable without jeopardising nationalist health.”