The classification, outlined by the WHO’s global Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), could see processed meats termed “carcinogenic to humans”, the highest of five possible rankings shared with alcohol, asbestos, arsenic and cigarettes.
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Nutrition manager for Beef and Lamb New Zealand Fiona Greig said the research would only look into whether red meat or processed meat was hazardous or not – it would not cover the context of other aspects of how people choose to live.
The average adult in the United Kingdom consumes around 71g of red meat every days, according to recent figures. “But if you have a few healthy, locally made high-protein sausage once a fortnight, well, I personally don’t consider that a risk”.
Even fresh red meat is expected to be listed as unhealthy. Indeed meat industry figures such as Betsy Booren at the North American Meat Institute are already anxious about the implications of such an announcement: “If they determine that red and processed meat causes cancer – and I think they will-that moniker will stick …”
“It is certainly very inappropriate to suggest that any adverse effect of bacon and sausages on the risk of bowel cancer is comparable to the dangers of tobacco smoke, which is loaded with known chemical carcinogens and increases the risk of lung cancer in cigarette smokers by around 20-fold”, Johnson told the BBC. Burgers are also expected to be included.
Meat which has been preserved by smoking, curing, salting or by adding preservatives can also lead to cancer-causing substances to form.
“Our surveys show that many of us are eating too much red and processed meat which may be linked to an increased risk in colorectal cancer”.
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“Billions of dollars have been spent on studies all over the world, and no single food has ever been proven to cause or cure cancer” Mcneill said.
