By Josh White For The Daily Mail Published: 20:24 EDT, 17 February 2016 | Updated: 08:01 EDT, 18 February 2016 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. Health risk: Nearly a third of Britons have slashed their meat consumption over the past 12 months, after the WHO reported that processed meat does cause cancer (file image) 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. Cutting down: The WHO said red meats were ‘probably carcinogenic’ but acknowledged there was limited evidence. The organisation did, however, stress that meat also had health benefits (file image) 'For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal (bowel) cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed,' Dr Kurt Straif from the WHO said at the time. But 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 - having a healthy diet is all about moderation.’ Advertisement
New research by the British Social Attitudes survey reveals that nearly half of the British public are cutting back on meat, with 29% already reducing their consumption since warnings from the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that meat such as bacon, sausages and ham can cause cancer and red meat in general probably causes cancer; another 9% are considering cutting back on meat altogether. The findings come after a report published last month found that more than one million people die every year because they eat too much meat.