Morrisons Nitrate Free Unsmoked Back Bacon is the healthiest pork bacon option on supermarket shelves, according to a review of 28 products by consumer group Which?.
The analysis focused on three key nutritional concerns: salt, saturated fat, and nitrites and nitrates. It found drastic differences between brands.
Which? nutritionist and senior researcher Charlotte Phillips said shoppers should check labels carefully.
"If you're buying bacon for your weekend breakfast, you can make informed choices by knowing what to look for on the labels because the nutritional gap between brands can be quite drastic," Phillips said. "For example, two rashers of the fattiest streaky bacon can make up approximately 20 per cent of a woman's daily saturated fat limit and two rashers of the saltiest options contribute to more than 40 per cent of your 6g daily recommended salt intake."
Saltiest bacon products
Morrisons The Best Extra Thick Cut Unsmoked Back Bacon was found to contain the most salt, at 4.63g per 100g.
"[This] tops the salt scale as the single saltiest product in our review, containing nearly 50 per cent more salt than the 3.11g average for cooked bacon," Which? said.
The pork products with the most salt per 100g were:
- Morrisons The Best Extra Thick Cut Unsmoked Back Bacon (4.63g)
- Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Unsmoked Air Dried Wiltshire Cured Back (4g)
- Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Unsmoked Air Dried Streaky Bacon (3.95g)
- Stamford Street Co. Unsmoked Back Bacon (3.93g)
- Lidl Deluxe Dry Cured Smoked Back Bacon (3.81g)
- Asda Just Essentials Unsmoked Back Bacon (3.8g)
- The Jolly Hog Black Treacle Extra Thick Cut (3.79g)
Aldi Smoked British Sweetcure Back Bacon was the least salty option at 1.63g per 100g, followed by Sainsbury's Reduced Salt Smoked Back Bacon (2.26g), Sainsbury's Unsmoked Reduced Salt Back Bacon (2.26g), and Sainsbury's unsmoked back bacon rashers without nitrites (2.27g).
Also among the least salty were Aldi Oakhurst Smoked Reduced Salt Back Bacon (2.33g), Asda Unsmoked Back Bacon without nitrates (2.4g), and Morrisons Lean Unsmoked Bacon Medallions (2.61g).
Highest saturated fat
Finnebrogue Naked Unsmoked Streaky Bacon contained the most saturated fat, topping the list with 12.3g per 100g.
"High saturated fat raises 'bad' LDL cholesterol, increasing heart disease risk," Which? explained. "Official guidelines recommend capping daily intake at 20g for women (30g for men), with anything over 5g per 100g triggering a red traffic light."
The products with the most saturated fat per 100g were:
- Finnebrogue Naked Unsmoked Streaky Bacon (12.3g)
- Morrisons Smoked Back Bacon (8.9g)
- Lidl Unsmoked Rindless Streaky Bacon (8.8g)
- Sainsbury's Unsmoked Back Bacon (8.8g)
- Morrisons The Best Thick Cut Unsmoked Back Bacon (8.6g)
- Stamford Street Co Unsmoked Back Bacon (8.6g)
- The Jolly Hog Black Treacle Extra Thick Cut Streaky Bacon (8.5g)
Morrisons Lean Unsmoked Bacon Medallions contained the least saturated fat of the pork products at 2.4g per 100g.
The products with the least saturated fat per 100g were:
- Morrisons Lean Unsmoked Bacon Medallions (2.4g)
- Morrisons Nitrate Free Unsmoked Back Bacon (3.7g)
- Asda Exceptional Dry Cured Oak Smoked (4.3g)
- Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Unsmoked Air Dried Wiltshire Cured Back Bacon (4.5g)
- Lidl Unsmoked Rindless Cured (5g)
- Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Unsmoked Air Dried Streaky Bacon (5g)
- Sainsbury's Unsmoked Back Bacon Without Nitrites (5g)
Nitrites and alternatives
The review also examined the levels of nitrites and nitrates.
"Nitrates are found naturally in foods and are generally harmless," Which? explained. "However, when added to meat and cooked at high temperatures, they react to form harmful compounds known as nitrosamines."
Only seven of the 28 products tested were nitrite-free. They were Asda Unsmoked Back Bacon Rashers without nitrates, Finnebrogue Naked Smoked Back Bacon, Finnebrogue Naked Smoked Streaky Bacon, Finnebrogue Naked Unsmoked Streaky Bacon, Finnebrogue Naked Unsmoked Back Bacon, Morrisons Nitrate Free Unsmoked Back Bacon, and Sainsbury's Back Bacon Rashers without nitrites.
Phillips said Morrisons Nitrate Free Unsmoked Back Bacon struck the best overall balance.
"This back bacon strikes a balance across three major health factors, as it delivers zero nitrates/nitrites while keeping both saturated fat (3.7g per 100g) and salt (3.3g per 100g) lower compared with some of its other supermarket competitors," Phillips explained.
The team also analysed six plant and poultry options. The best plant-based option was THIS Isn't Bacon Rashers 100 per cent Plant-Based.
"THIS Isn't Bacon not only wins the plant-based category by keeping its saturated fat to a negligible 0.1g per 100g and salt lower than some of the meat rashers, but it also takes my top recommendation overall for beating the meat options, too," Phillips said.
Mattessons Lightly Smoked Turkey Rashers was named the best poultry product.
"At just 29 calories and 0.1g of saturated fat per cooked rasher, Mattessons cuts saturated fat to virtually zero, lightening up your breakfast fry-up while still matching standard bacon on protein density," Phillips said. "It's an impressively lean swap, provided you keep an eye on your overall daily salt intake."
