Scientists have criticised suggestions that bacon, ham and sausages could pose as big a cancer threat as cigarettes.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) will publish a report on Monday on the dangers of eating processed meats.
It is expected to list processed meat as a cancer-causing substance, while fresh red meat is also expected to be regarded as bad for health, the Daily Mail said.
The classifications, by the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer, are believed to regard processed meat as "carcinogenic to humans", the highest of five possible rankings, shared with alcohol, asbestos, arsenic and cigarettes.
The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has warned for several years that there is "strong evidence" that consuming a lot of red meat can cause bowel cancer.
It also says there is "strong evidence" that processed meats - even in smaller quantities - increase cancer risk.
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Experts attack claims that bacon is 'as big a cancer threat as smoking'