A third of Britons have cut down on meat in a year

MILLIONS of Britons have cut down on eating meat in the wake of warnings over the risks of processed food like bacon and sausages.

Almost one in three have slashed their meat consumption over the past 12 months, while 9 per cent are considering cutting down or giving up meat entirely, according to the British Social Attitudes Survey.

Women are more likely to have reduced their consumption of meat than men. The Times reported that 20 per cent said the decision to cut down on meat was to save money, but the majority – 58 per cent – cited health concerns.

Last year, the World Health Organisation (WHO), said that processed meats do cause cancer. Its report found that 50g of processed meat a day – less than two slices of bacon – increased the chance of developing colorectal cancer by 18 per cent.

It said red meats were ‘probably carcinogenic’ but acknowledged there was limited evidence. The organisation did, however, stress that meat also had health benefits.

Cancer Research UK said the findings were a reason to cut down rather than give up red and processed meats but said an occasional bacon sandwich would do little harm.

Professor Tim Key, of Oxford University, said: ‘This decision doesn’t mean you need to stop eating any red and processed meat, but if you eat lots of it you may want to think about cutting down. Eating a bacon bap every once in a while isn’t going to do much harm.’