- For years, researchers have debated the link between the consumption of red meat and cancer. On October 26, 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) took what is perhaps the most definitive and aggressive position thus far by any health organization on this hot-button issue, announcing that, based on a 22-member expert panel’s analysis of more than 800 studies, processed meat (e.g., sausages, bacon) should be classified as “carcinogenic” and red meat should be considered “probably carcinogenic.” This conclusion was immediately questioned.
- On December 1, 2016, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) petitioned the USDA to mandate labels on packages of processed meat and poultry that would warn consumers that frequent consumption of those products may increase the risk of colorectal cancer. CSPI’s petition cites as support the controversial October 2015 WHO findings which concluded that processed meat is carcinogenic to humans.
- The meat industry has already challenged CSPI’s petition as being based on WHO’s tenuous findings and failing to account for numerous studies that find no relationships between meat and colon cancer. Regardless of how USDA responds to this petition, it is clear that the debate will continue as to whether a link exists between the consumption of processed/red meat and cancer.