The negative health perceptions of classic foods such as bacon and sausages are impacting sales, according to new analysis by AHDB.
The sound of bacon sizzling was recently rated one of the UK’s favourite sounds, while the full English breakfast and bacon sandwiches are among the nation’s most-loved meals.
Despite this, retail sales of bacon have declined in the last year, with volumes down by 5.6%, AHDB says.
And, more recently, sausages have gone into decline, driven by annualising on last year’s particularly good barbecue weather which boosted sales.
Both products are important to the pork market – their combined worth in the year to 3 November 2019 was £1.8bn, 2.5 times the value of the primary pork market, according to Kantar data.
However, health is growing in importance as a driver of meal choice – influencing one in three servings of foods, AHDB adds.
Processed pork doesn’t score highly in this area as few servings of sausages or bacon are chosen for health reasons.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of consumers think sausages are fattier than other types of meat, and there has been an increase in consumers who link them with heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer, despite the Meat Advisory Panel urging caution over recent 'alarmist' media headlines.
But reports linking bacon to cancer also appear to have resonated with consumers; when asked, 18% claimed to have heard something about bacon in the media recently with over half of those people reporting the news had been negative.
Many cited hearing negative reports about nitrates in bacon and recommendations that they cut back on processed meat.
Consequently, AHDB says it has seen a significant uptick in concerns about the healthiness of bacon, with sausages not far behind.
While many meals in the home are driven by health or practicality, eating out is viewed as a treat – therefore, sausages and bacon perform well in the out-of-home market, analysis shows.
