A national nonprofit organization is calling on Easton to stop supporting PA Bacon Fest and for its organizers to replace it with a healthier alternative.

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit that primarily advocates for plant-based diets and against animal testing in science, said it would file a complaint Friday with Easton’s chief health officer.

The complaint, written by Dr. Keri Rosen on behalf of PCRM, an organization with nearly 1 million members but fewer than 2% physicians, called on the city to:

• Require that organizers transition to “health-promoting foods like hazelnuts, cherries or chestnuts” next year

• Stop promoting Bacon Fest on the city website

• And ask organizers to include healthier alternatives in this year’s festival, including plant-based bacon products such as alternative bacon “made with mushrooms and smoked paprika.”

PCRM provided an early copy of the complaint to The Morning Call.

The highly popular festival, which draws thousands to downtown Easton to enjoy all things bacon, returns this weekend.

The Greater Easton Development Partnership, which organizes Bacon Fest, views PCRM’s complaint as a publicity stunt, spokesperson Joe Dimmick said.

“Bacon’s an unhealthy product; I think everyone knows that,” Dimmick said. “It’s one event out of the year that we do. That people have a day of indulgence, I think, is pretty reasonable, and bacon is one of the most popular breakfast meats for a reason. It’s all about balance. That is the key in life; sometimes unhealthy things taste really good.”

Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr.’s office said it respects the organization’s right to advocate for healthier dietary choices, but believes residents and visitors are capable of making their own informed decisions.

“PA Bacon Fest is a community tradition that generates significant economic activity for local businesses and charitable organizations,” Panto said. “While we respect differing opinions on nutrition and lifestyle choices, this event is ultimately about bringing people together, supporting our downtown, and showcasing all that Easton has to offer.”

Rosen, a licensed family medicine and preventive medicine physician in California as well as a medical and research analyst for PCRM, said the organization has the best interests of the community in mind. Bacon and other processed meats are considered Class 1 carcinogens along with cigarettes, and she said PCRM finds the idea of holding an event around it irresponsible.

“If an adult makes a decision to put one of these things in their body, that’s one thing, especially if they’re making an informed decision,” Rosen said. “But when we’re having these events where younger people might be attending and don’t have that same level of agency and knowledge, it’s pretty worrisome. I would never bring a kid to a cigarette fest.”

Bacon Fest is the largest fundraiser that the Greater Easton Development Partnership holds every year, Dimmick said, and is a significant fund driver for the Easton Farmers’ Market, West Ward Market and community gardens, which all provide healthy food options to the community.

“We’ve explored other food festival ideas, but we’re in our 15th year; last year we drew close to 90,000 people, record attendance and I hope we do similar numbers this weekend,” Dimmick said. “It’s obviously something that resonates with a large number of people. It’s one of those things of letting people have their bacon cupcake and eat it too.”

Dimmick said the event has protestors every year, and organizers support their right to speak their minds as long as they don’t endanger anyone, block entrances or pedestrian walkways, agitate people, or use amplified sound.

“We try to make sure when they are here people aren’t getting into it with them and that they have a safe experience and they can say their piece and go about their day. Last year I didn’t have any issues,” Dimmick said.

PCRM has made similar complaints to other communities with similar events, Rosen said. She said she wasn’t aware if it ever resulted in changes, but it had led to some productive conversations, including at Wisconsin’s Bacon Bash, where local PCRM members were invited to share plant-based options.

Bacon Fest has come under fire before. In 2015, the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which has given funding to PCRM, contacted businesses around Easton and offered them cash to hang signs that let people know that the bacon they’re eating can cause cancer.