Nitrite-free bacon sales boom in UK amid fears over curing chemicals

Shoppers are switching from traditional product despite little evidence alternative is safer

Bacon has long been a favourite of carnivores, but there is growing consumer concern about the health risks posed by nitrites, chemicals used to cure meats.

Denhay, the Devon hand- dry-cured bacon specialist, has launched two new back bacon lines in 570 Tesco stores from 21 September – Made Without Nitrites Smoked Back Bacon and Made Without Nitrites Unsmoked Back Bacon (both 200g), both priced at £4.

Data from Worldpanel by Numerator shows nitrite-free bacon growing steadily while conventional bacon declines, and its share of the fresh bacon category has risen steadily from a small base. In the 52 weeks to 6 September 2026, nitrite-free spend reached £34.8m (up 11.4% year on year) and volumes were up to 2.2m kg (up 8.0%), while spend and volume for conventional bacon was 9.2% and 4.9%, respectively.

Marlene Godwin, the managing director of Denhay, said the move was prompted by retailers and shoppers rather than the producer. “We definitely don’t want to be telling people what to eat. This is about giving bacon lovers choice, not replacement. Retailers were saying customers want this, can you provide it?

Sodium and potassium nitrates and nitrites are chemicals that are often used to preserve or “cure” meat.

Nitrites help to prevent the growth of microbes, including harmful bacteria, and can enhance the flavour and pink colour of meat products.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says the key difference is that when nitrates or nitrites are consumed as part of protein-rich foods such as meat, they are converted into chemicals known as nitrosamines, which are thought to be harmful to health.

The World Health Organization’s cancer agency classes processed meat as a group 1 carcinogen, the same category as tobacco, though the known link between processed meat and cancer cannot be directly attributed to nitrites.

The FSA says no single component of processed meat has been identified as the cause, and there is no definitive evidence that nitrites directly cause cancer.

Gabriela Peacock, a nutritionist and founder of GP Nutrition, said: “People are much more interested in what is actually in their food now. They are turning packets over, reading ingredient lists and looking for products that feel a little less processed. If someone enjoys bacon or ham but sees an option made without added nitrates, it can feel like a very easy, positive swap, without having to change the way they eat completely.”

She added: “The most expensive option is not automatically the healthiest, just as ‘nitrate-free’ does not give a product a magic health halo. Nitrates and nitrites help to preserve meat and control harmful bacteria, and the Food Standards Agency says there is currently no evidence that processed meat made without them is safer.”