By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent
British supermarkets have reported a £3 million drop in sales of sausage and bacon following a report by the World Health Organisation which grouped processed meats in the same category of cancer risk as tobacco and asbestos, despite a face-saving PR push during British Sausage Week.
Analysts at IRI Retail Advantage told The Grocer that sales of pre-packed bacon had fallen 17 per cent in last week of October, and were down 16.5 per cent the week after. Pre-packed sausages also suffered, with sales down 15.6 per cent and 13.9 per cent respectively.
Supermarkets have slashed the price of sausages and bacon in their stores, but this hasn’t helped overcome the public fear of processed meats following the report on ‘Black Monday’.
Many analysts have since criticised the report saying it fails to differentiate between healthy British sausages and those imported from elsewhere in Europe, which are often packed with chemicals. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) released a statement on that day pointed out that UK consumers on average eat 17g of processed meat a day, far less than the 50g amount declared hazardous by the IARC.
