Britons tuck into bacon butties despite cancer study

By Sarah Marsh

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - The French adore foie gras and the Germans love their wurst while the British go weak at the knees for bacon sandwiches -- so many were outraged on Thursday by a landmark report linking red meat to cancer.

Britain's best-selling newspaper The Sun headed its front page with the rallying cry "Save Our Bacon" whilst traders and shoppers at London's historic meat market were scornful.

A new report commissioned by the World Cancer Research Fund said processed meats such as ham and bacon increased the risk of bowel cancer and should be eaten sparingly.

Tabloid headline writers were as irate as devoted fans of the "bacon butty" -- as the great British delicacy is called.

"So what is safe to eat?" trumpeted the Daily Mail.

Meat traders were outraged too.

"People know everything in life is bad for you and they're too attached to their bacon to stop eating it," said Barry Cassidy, 55, a salesman at Smithfield market where meat has been bought and sold for over 800 years.

"You could go for twenty to thirty years and not eat bacon, not enjoying life, then get hit by a car - I say, everything in moderation," he added.

Regular customer Avtar Johal, 61, who runs a nearby sandwich bar, said the report would not stop him eating his beloved butties.

"Some reports say it is good for you, some say it is bad - who knows," he said, snorting in disbelief over the report.

Ken Taverner, 71, who works part-time at a butchers' shop, was equally dismissive.

"Every other week a new study comes out about what you can and cannot eat - the story always changes."

"All my life I've eaten meat pies and pudding and I didn't worry about it."

While some traders said the report could affect their sales, others were defiant.

John Fitzsimmons, 43, assistant manager at "The Cock Tavern" situated underneath the meat market, quipped: "We've never sold so many bacon sandwiches as this morning. You say one thing and people do the opposite."