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Bacon

What the research shows

Concerning

in studies of people

A type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts.

It is eaten as a side dish or used to flavour dishes.12

  • Not vegan
  • Not vegetarian

What research says

Studies in people

  • Concern

    Heart and metabolic health3

    Eating lots of bacon and other processed meats is linked to higher risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

  • Concern

    Heart and diabetes risk4

    Eating bacon and other processed meats may raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, though scientists are still not certain.

  • Concern

    Heart and cancer risk5

    Eating less bacon and other processed meats may slightly lower heart problem and some cancer risk, but evidence is weak.

  • Concern

    Cancer risk from meat6

    Eating less bacon and other processed meats may slightly lower cancer risk, but scientists are not sure.

Found in some samples or products

These come from where it was grown, how it was processed or cooked, or what it was made into. They are not about the ingredient itself, so the signal does not count them.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

What expert reviews concluded

Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them. IARC rates whether something can cause cancer at all, not how likely it is at the amounts in food.

Products

The 6 most-scanned of 2,061 products on Open Food Facts that list bacon.

  • Frankfurters Dulano · 350 g 3 additives
  • Coconut Water Fresh Express 7 additives
  • Charlie Bingham Lasagne Charlie Bigham's · 690 g 4 additives
  • Garden Pea & Wiltshire Cured Ham soup Tesco · 600 g 1 additive
  • Schinken-Lyoner Gut Drei Eichen · 400 g 3 additives
  • Macaroni Cheese with Bacon Charlie Bigham's 3 additives

References

  1. 1bacon: ingredient taxonomy entry. Open Food Facts.
  2. 2Bacon. Wikipedia. Accessed September 29, 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0.
  3. 3Zhang X, Liang S, Chen X, et al. Red/processed meat consumption and non-cancer-related outcomes in humans: umbrella review. Br J Nutr. 2023;130(3):484-494. doi:10.1017/S0007114522003415
  4. 4Hill ER, O'Connor LE, Wang Y, et al. Red and processed meat intakes and cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus: An umbrella systematic review and assessment of causal relations using Bradford Hill's criteria. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2024;64(9):2423-2440. doi:10.1080/10408398.2022.2123778
  5. 5Vernooij RWM, Zeraatkar D, Han MA, et al. Patterns of Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk for Cardiometabolic and Cancer Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies. Ann Intern Med. 2019;171(10):732-741. doi:10.7326/M19-1583
  6. 6Han MA, Zeraatkar D, Guyatt GH, et al. Reduction of Red and Processed Meat Intake and Cancer Mortality and Incidence: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies. Ann Intern Med. 2019;171(10):711-720. doi:10.7326/M19-0699
  7. 7Dolara P, Caderni G, Salvadori M, Tringale L, Lodovici M. Urinary mutagens in humans after fried pork and bacon meals. Cancer Lett. 1984;22(3):275-80. doi:10.1016/0304-3835(84)90163-0