I suppose so, earlier than I want, anyway!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21682779

I'm not sure I fully understand this. It's not as if processed meat like bacon is some new evil visited upon us by twin-yacht sailing magnates; we've been preserving food like this for millennia. We've been eating sausages for centuries.
My salt intake is, I think, below HMG's guidelines on average, and the bacon sandwich I had last week was my second this year. Back bacon, not streaky.

What about other countries? The Germans eat preserved meats in quite some quantity; the Mediterranean countries have lots of their own sausages, all preserved.

What specifically I don't understand and would like some science bod to explain, is what is the difference between my buying a chilled pie in Sainsbury's and my going to bother of making one myself from scratch. I'd still use salt to some extent.

I am now a confused eater. And no, I'm not going veggie.