Put cigarette-style health warnings in packs of bacon to stop Britons suffering health issues such as type 2 diabetes, says Labour donor Dale Vince

Cigarette-style health warnings should be added to packets of bacon in a bid to stop Britons suffering health problems, a major Labour donor claimed today.

Dale Vince, the boss of green energy firm Ecotricity, seized on Government proposals to add messages encouraging smokers to quit to the inside of fag packets.

The multi-millionaire suggested the same approach should be taken with pork rashers, as he claimed ‘food is a big issue’.

The 61-year-old, a committed vegan who has helped to fund eco-activists Just Stop Oil as well as Labour, said the messages would ‘show people what happens when they eat this stuff’.

The Tories have repeatedly called on Labour to return the £1.5million they have received from Mr Vince in the wake of Just Stop Oil’s disruptive protests on Britain’s roads and at major sporting events.

Dale Vince, the boss of green energy firm Ecotricity, suggested cigarette-style health warnings should be added to packets of bacon

The 61-year-old, a committed vegan who has helped to fund Just Stop Oil as well as Labour, said messages on bacon packets would ‘show people what happens when they eat this stuff’

Ministers today launched a consultation on whether messages encouraging smokers to quit could be added to the inside of cigarette packs

Ministers today launched a consultation on whether messages encouraging smokers to quit could be added to the inside of cigarette packs.

The inserts would set out the health and financial benefits of giving up and signpost advice and support available to those trying to stop, the Department of Health said.

Speaking to TalkTV about the proposals, Mr Vince said: ‘I love the idea of cards in cigarrette packets, it just goes back to when I was a kid – not that I was a smoker.

‘I just want to say, we should take the same idea and we should stick cards in packets of bacon to show people what happens when they eat this stuff.

‘Food is a big issue.’

Challenged by TalkTV host Ian Collins that most people would simply enjoy their bacon sarnie rather than thinking about any long-term effect, Mr Vince added: ‘That’s the short-term – same with smoking, right?

‘It tastes alright when you’re doing it and then later on you’ve got type 2 diabetes and your left leg has to come off.’

Type 2 diabetes is often linked to being overweight or being inactive.

Earlier this year, a study suggested preservatives in cured meats could raise the risk of type 2 diabetes by more than half.

Researchers said they had found a link between nitrites – used to add colour and flavouring to meats such as sausages and bacon – and an increased risk of the condition.

The team accessed data collected from more than 100,000 people in France who have been tracked since 2009.

But other experts queried the results.

Mr Vince’s firm has donated £20,000 to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and £10,000 to deputy leader Angela Rayner.

This is on top of more than £1.4million given by Ecotricity to the Labour Party over several years, according to Electoral Commission data.

Mr Vince founded Ecotricity in 1995 and is also the owner of Forest Green Rovers, who were named the world’s first UN certified carbon-neutral football club.

The League Two side have also been officially recognised as the world’s first vegan football club and only serve vegan food at their stadium.