For lifelong meateaters looking to kick the habit turning down a slice of sizzling bacon can be as hard as giving up a cigarette is for smokers.

Which might explain the thinking behind the latest attempt to help people eat less meat.

Oxford professor Charles Spence has helped develop a patch infused with the smell of bacon, similar to the nicotine substitutes worn on the arm by smokers to help them give up cigarettes.

Scratching the patch is said to produce a whiff of cooked bacon, intended to help quell the wearer’s cravings for meat.

The professor in experimental psychology, who is a world renowned expert in sensory perception and the tricks the mind can play on our sense of smell and taste, teamed up with the plant-based food producer Strong Roots to develop the patch.

He says it will allow wearers to “imagine” they are eating rashers of bacon, with the effect of leaving them “satisfied”.

Professor Spence, the author of Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating, said: "Studies have shown that scent can reduce food cravings.

“Our sense of smell is strongly connected to our ability to taste therefore experiencing food related cues such as smelling a bacon aroma, can lead us to imagine the act of eating that food. Imagine eating enough bacon and you might find yourself sated."