Revealed: The true impact of bacon & bangers cancer link

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This article is part of our 2016 digital feature on breakfast

Half of Brits are aware of last year’s World Health Organization report that classified processed meat products as carcinogens and 58% of those are now cutting back on the amount of bacon and suasages they consume.

That’s according to a Harris Interacive poll of more than 2,000 consumers for The Grocer, which found that one in four Brits have already reduced their processed meat consumtion and a further 33% are trying to do so.

Last year the World Health Organization released a report that classified processed meat such as bacon and sausages as carcinogens. Are you aware of this report?

	Total	Male	Female	16-24	25-34	35-44	45-54	55+
Yes	49.0%	50.9%	47.1%	39.4%	47.4%	48.0%	56.0%	50.2%
No	51.0%	49.1%	52.9%	60.6%	52.6%	52.0%	44.0%	49.8%

If you are aware of the report. How has this affected your views towards processed meat such as bacon and sausages?

	Total	Male	Female	16-24	25-34	35-44	45-54	55+


I am trying to reduce the amount of processed meat I eat	33.3%	30.2%	36.4%	36.5%	32.2%	34.1%	34.2%	31.9%
Bacon and sausages are delicious, nothing will stop me eating them	30.9%	37.2%	24.5%	23.7%	29.8%	32.8%	36.8%	29.2%
High quality bacon and sausages are better for me than cheap ones	25.7%	24.9%	26.4%	18.3%	26.7%	33.0%	18.7%	27.0%
I have cut back on processed meat as a result of the report	25.2%	22.9%	27.5%	33.9%	25.7%	20.5%	23.7%	25.8%
Bacon and sausages are a great source of protein at breakfast time	13.7%	14.0%	13.4%	17.2%	16.3%	19.0%	7.2%	12.3%
Bacon and sausages are a great way to start the day	12.5%	15.2%	9.8%	13.5%	15.6%	18.0%	8.1%	10.4%

The impact of the WHO report is borne out by bacon sales figures. In the four weeks following the report’s release, retailers shifted 8.5% fewer packs of bacon and the rate of decline continued to accelerate until the new year.

“The impact appears to have been a one-off step change,” says Martin Wood, head of strategic insight at IRI. “Sales of sausages and bacon along with most red meat are in long-term decline anyway and the rate of decline has not accelerated since last autumn’s step change.”

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