Skip to main content
menu

Action on Salt

Surprise! Bacon is Salty!

Published:

Ok you got us, there are no surprises in finding out bacon is salty. So why did we do this survey?

Bacon is one of the biggest contributors of salt to the UK diet, second to bread. The majority of us are eating too much salt, most of it unknowingly, with 61% of our intakes coming from the food we buy, such as bacon, but also from foods we wouldn’t expect such as readymade salads, dips, and soup to name a few (previous surveys available here). 

To kick start 2020 we’ve focussed on bacon, as many manufacturers insist they cannot reduce the salt content any more without compromising on food safety. But we have found otherwise. Not all bacon is the same, with large variations in salt content across different manufacturers; the saltiest bacon for example contains 4 times more salt than the least salty bacon. This shows that it IS possible to make bacon with less salt.

So if bacon with less salt is available in supermarkets, is it not then up to the consumer to choose more wisely? Unfortunately it’s not that simple! Lower salt varieties are not always readily available in all supermarkets, meaning customers are not given enough options to choose from. Regardless, of the 171 bacon products surveyed across all major UK retailers, ALL are unnecessarily high in salt.

Until companies make significant progress, we must look to the tools available to us make healthier choices. Thankfully our survey found three in four bacon products had colour coded labelling on front of pack, which is a significant improvement to our last bacon survey in 2012. Tesco and Iceland were the only 2 supermarkets that opted for no labelling on front of pack. Tesco used to have front of pack colour coded labelling on their bacon, but for some reason have taken it off in recent years. Without colour coded labelling it’s hard to compare products at a glance. Who in this day and age has time to spend trying to decipher a nutrition label? More often than not we whizz through the aisles in the limited time we have, throwing food into our baskets without a second thought, whilst trying to steer clear of the biscuit aisle to avoid a toddler meltdown. Having nutrition information clearly visible on front of pack and colour coded gives customers straightforward and clear information, and enables them to quickly compare to similar brands.

To make it even more confusing, products labelled with ‘reduced salt’ aren’t necessarily the lowest - some contain more salt than those which do not display a specific nutrition claim to salt. E.g. a Reduced Salt Back Bacon from Lidl, has 2.13g of salt per 100g, compared to Waitrose Smoked Back Bacon (no reduced salt claim on pack) which has 1.51g of salt per 100g.

Government have set up voluntary salt reduction targets for retailers and manufacturers to follow across a comprehensive list of food, including bacon. Unfortunately, many companies are failing to meet them. Question is, if some can act responsibly, why not others? The companies not doing their part are putting the UK public’s health at unnecessary risk. We found 1 rasher of bacon contained more salt than a whole hamburger. Is that really necessary? Bacon doesn’t need heaps of salt to make it taste good.

What do we want to happen? Government have committed to setting new targets for 2020 - we’d like to see mandatory targets set for key contributors of salt to the UK diet which includes bacon. The food industry needs to accept they have a role to play in reducing how much salt we consume and reformulate their products (it clearly can be done).

Who wouldn’t want less salty bacon that still tastes as good? We know too much salt increases our blood pressure, leading to strokes and heart attacks. The evidence is there, yet salt being perceived to be ‘flavour’ for food seems to have become more important than our health.

What can consumers do?

  1. Rinse/soak bacon in water to take out excess salt.
  2. Think portion sizes. Does the packet suggest 1 or 2 rashers? How many are you likely to have?
  3. Alternatives to pork tend to be lower in salt and saturated fat (double win) e.g. turkey rashers or plant based alternatives
  4. Check the labels to see how much salt is in your favourite bacon and try to choose a lower salt option. It’s a bit of a minefield but done once, you then know which one to choose in the future. If there isn’t front of pack colour coded nutrition information you can also use the free health app FoodSwitch which will also help you find healthier alternatives.

Finally, create a demand for lower salt products! Retailers and manufacturers respond to what their customers want. Why else do you think Avocados suddenly hit the shelves? Email, write letters and tweet retailers and manufacturers to ask them to reduce the salt in their bacon and any other products you think have too much salt! Use the hashtag #LessSaltPlease if you tweet and you can use this guide if you’re writing an email: Email Guide to Manufacturers / Retailers [DOC 12KB]

 

 

 

Return to top