And like all good bacon lovers, the first way to check the quality of bacon being bought is to see how pink the meat is. Sadly, that’s exactly where it seems to go all wrong. 

Because, according to a study reported by The Guardian, which includes research shown in a book published by the French journalist Guillaume Coudray, it has been proven that the pink in the meat is a sign that chemicals such as nitrates and nitrites have been used to treat the meat. 

While many stories have done the rounds of social media and knowledge journals on how processed meat is carcinogenic, the truly shocking part is that there are alternate ways to make processed ham or bacon that is not harmful. 

But then why would companies not do that? Simply because it takes longer. 

The original way of curing meat is to salt it – either with a dry salt rub or a wet brine – and to wait for time to do the rest. That time is what manufacturers don’t want to invest in!

Ever since WHO first issued an announcement on how bacon can cause cancer, there has been great level of confusion and no clear information. 

This lack of awareness has allowed manufacturers to get away with producing carcinogenic bacon, and till the time consumers start demanding greater information, manufacturers will keep getting away with the same.