Did you know that bacon, ham, hot dogs and salami are classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as ‘category 1 carcinogens’?
Would you eat them if you knew they caused bowel cancer?
Following ten years of detailed investigation, documentary film-maker Guillaume Coudray presents a powerful examination of the use of nitro-additives in meat. As he reveals, most mass-produced processed meats, and now even many ‘artisanal’ products, contain chemicals that react with meat to form cancer-causing compounds. He tells the full story of how, since the 1970s, the meat-processing industry has denied the health risks because these additives make curing cheaper and quicker, extending shelf life and giving meat a pleasing pink colour.
These additives are, in fact, unnecessary. Parma ham has not contained them for nearly 30 years – and indeed all traditional cured meats were once produced without nitrate and nitrite. Progressive producers are now increasingly following that example.
Who Poisoned Your Bacon Sandwich? – featuring a foreword by acclaimed food writer Bee Wilson – is the authoritative, gripping and scandalous story of big business flying in the face of scientific health warnings. It allows you to evaluate the risks, and carries a message of hope that things can change.
About the Author
Guillaume Coudray is a French author and director of documentary films. He is a graduate of Sciences Po and a former research grantee at the National Foundation for Political Science. This is his first book; he lives in Paris.