Bacon that is said to be free of nitrites, preservatives, E numbers and allergens will soon appear on supermarket shelves in what is being called “a remarkable feat of food technology”.



The Northern Irish food manufacturer Finnebrogue claims its Naked Bacon contains no nitrites – salts from chemical or natural sources added as a preservative, anti-microbial agent and colour fixative.

The World Health Organization concluded in 2015 that processed meat, including bacon, is carcinogenic. It said one possible reason was that nitrites in the body could form carcinogenic compounds called nitrosamines that damage DNA.

Finnebrogue said it worked with a Spanish chemist to develop the new flavouring from natural Mediterranean fruit and spice extracts and apply it to British bacon for the first time.

A growing number of farmers and butchers have started to offer nitrite-free bacon in recent years, but Finnebrogue believes its product is the first to look and taste like traditional bacon and maintain a similar shelf life.

Prof Chris Elliott, who led the inquiry into the horsemeat scandal and chairs the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “Many forms of processed foods have come under the spotlight over recent years for their unhealthy attributes. Processed red meat in particular has been a focal point.

“Finnebrogue have used a combination of innovation and natural fruit and spice extracts to come up with a bacon that is made without the need for added nitrites. Nitro-containing compounds, used in the manufacture of traditional bacons, are known to cause the formation of chemicals that have negative health impacts.

“To have a bacon produced naturally, that doesn’t require such chemicals to be added or formed during processing, is a very welcome development.”

Neil Parish, chair of the House of Commons environment, food and rural affairs committee, said: “Making bacon without nitrites – and reducing the risk in the famous full English breakfast – is a remarkable feat of food technology and a brilliant British success story.

“This is further evidence that the British food industry is going from strength to strength. UK firms like Finnebrogue are leading the way in producing some of the best food anywhere in the world.”

Finnebrogue’s chair, Denis Lynn, said: “Bacon contains nitrites, nitrites produce nitrosamines in your gut and nitrosamines are carcinogenic. Nitrites should not be in food.

“I’ve been all over the world to figure out a way to make bacon without nitrites – and up to now we’d never made a single rasher of bacon because we couldn’t work out how to do it. For more than a decade I have insisted we not touch bacon until such time as we can make it better and safer – and now we have.

“Our Naked Bacon is not only safer than any other bacon on the market, it also tops the charts in blind taste tests. This really is the biggest revolution to the British breakfast for a generation.”

Naked Bacon will launch in Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Tesco from 10 January, while Naked Ham, which uses the same flavouring process, will follow on 15 January.

Finnebrogue is also producing nitrite-free bacon for Marks & Spencer, who will be packaging it under its own-brand label and selling it in early January.

M&S product developer Kirsty Adams said: “We know that our customers care about their health and are increasingly looking for healthier options for themselves and their families.

“We have worked closely with Finnebrogue throughout their innovation on nitrite-free bacon to ensure our own brand recipe is a fantastic tasting bacon without compromise on flavour - as our customers would expect.”

UK consumers eat 159m kg (350.5m lbs) of bacon every year to a retail value of £916m, according to recent Kantar Worldpanel figures.