Red meat has been making the news of late, and precious little of it is of the good variety. With headlines declaring the likes of steak, bacon and sausages as health hazards, it’s no wonder many are cutting back on meat. In a recent survey from the Vegetarian Society, three out of 10 people reported they’d eaten less meat in the past 12 months, with another one in 10 saying they planned to cut down or avoid it. Not surprisingly, 58 per cent said health was the reason – almost three times more than those concerned about animal welfare or food safety.
Lynne Elliott, chief executive of the Vegetarian Society, says advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) has greatly affected meateating behaviour. “In October 2015, WHO classified red meat as being ‘probably carcinogenic’ – in other words it probably causes cancer – and processed meat as ‘definitely carcinogenic’, putting it in the same category as smoking and asbestos.”
These classifications were based on research from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that concluded bowel cancer risk increased by 17 per cent for every 100g of red meat eaten each day, and by 18 per cent for every 50g of processed meat (meat that’s cured, salted, smoked or preserved, including sausages, bacon, ham and salami) eaten each day. The IARC also found a possible link between red meat and pancreatic and prostate cancers, and processed meat with stomach cancer.