This New, Healthier Bacon Is A Game-Changer

Does anything beat the smell of bacon crisping under the grill, especially on a hungover Sunday morning? Even my vegan flatmate says she sometimes - just sometimes - finds it tempting.

So it's exciting to report that a new, healthier bacon will be arriving on UK supermarket shelves in a matter of days. Northern Irish brand Finnebrogue has created Naked Bacon, a form of the meat made without using potentially harmful nitrites.

Nitrites are often added to bacon and other processed meats as a preservative and to give it the traditional pink colour, The Times reports. However, the World Health Organization warned in 2015 that consuming nitrites can increase a person's risk of contracting bowel cancer.

Instead of nitrites, Finnebrogue has used "a combination of innovation and natural fruit and spice extracts" to preserve and colour its Naked Bacon. Professor Chris Elliott of Queen's University Belfast, who led the government's investigation into the 2013 horsemeat scandal, has given the new bacon his backing.

“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," he said.

"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."

Naked Bacon will go on sale in branches of Waitrose, Morrisons and Sainsbury's on the 10th of January. It will be followed five days later by Finnebrogue's Naked Ham, which is similarly free from nitrites. The company has said it is now working with M&S to produce a nitrite-free bacon for their own-brand range, too.

Now you just need to find someone to cook it for you next time you're hungover.