Food Quality Magazine
ISSUE 04 | OCTOBER 2015
Food Industry News
IARC Monographs evaluate
consumption of red meat and
processed meat
(Source: WHO) The International Agency
for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer
agency of the World Health Organization,
has evaluated the carcinogenicity of the
consumption of red meat and processed
meat.
Red meat
After thoroughly reviewing the accumulated scientific literature, a Working Group
of 22 experts from 10 countries convened
by the IARC Monographs Programme classified the consumption of red meat as
probably carcinogenic to humans (Group
2A), based on limited evidence that the
consumption of red meat causes cancer
in humans and strong mechanistic evidence supporting a carcinogenic effect. This
association was observed mainly for colorectal cancer, but associations were also
seen for pancreatic cancer and prostate
WHO meat report:
UK reaction to cancer link
(Source: BBC News) UK scientists and meat
industry representatives have been debating what the World Health Organization
report linking meat and meat products to
cancer will mean.
The WHO says processed meats such as
bacon, sausages and ham increase the risk
of getting cancer.
Dr Ian Johnson, from the Institute of Food
Research, a publicly funded UK research
institute that focuses on the science of
food and health
He reacted cautiously to the WHO‘s report,
saying: „It is important to emphasise that
this classification reflects the strength of
the evidence for an effect, not the actual
size of the risk.
„Meat consumption is probably one of
many factors contributing to the high
rates of bowel cancer seen in America,
Western Europe and Australia, but the
8
cancer.
Processed meat
Processed meat was classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on
sufficient evidence in humans that the
consumption of processed meat causes
colorectal cancer. Meat consumption and
its effects The consumption of meat varies greatly between countries, with from
a few percent up to 100% of people eating
red meat, depending on the country, and
somewhat lower proportions eating processed meat. The experts concluded that
each 50 gram portion of processed meat
eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal
cancer by 18%.
“For an individual, the risk of developing
colorectal cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains
small, but this risk increases with the
amount of meat consumed,” says Dr Kurt
Straif, Head of the IARC Monographs
Programme. “In view of the large number
of people who consume processed meat,
the global impact on cancer incidence is
mechanism is poorly understood, and the
effect is much smaller than, for example,
that of cigarette smoking on the risk of
lung cancer.
„It is also worth noting that there is little or no evidence that vegetarians in the
UK have a lower risk of bowel cancer than
meat-eaters.“
Maureen Strong, of the Agriculture and
Horticulture Development Board, which is
funded by farmers and growers to supply
the food industry with information
She said the WHO‘s report did not suggest
eating red and processed meats „as part
of a balanced diet“ caused cancer.
„No single food causes cancer. [The WHO‘s
International Agency for Research on Cancer] itself has said that the risk from processed meat remains small,“ she said.
Ms Strong added that the average daily
consumption of processed meat was 17
grams, which meant that on average people would need to eat „three times their
current levels to increase their risk“ of
of public health importance.” The IARC
Working Group considered more than 800
studies that investigated associations of
more than a dozen types of cancer with
the consumption of red meat or processed
meat in many countries and populations
with diverse diets. The most influential
evidence came from large prospective cohort studies conducted over the past 20
years.
Public health
”These findings further support current
public health recommendations to limit
intake of meat,” says Dr Christopher Wild,
Director of IARC. “At the same time, red
meat has nutritional value. Therefore,
these results are important in enabling
governments and international regulatory agencies to conduct risk assessments,
in order to balance the risks and benefits
of eating red meat and processed meat
and to provide the best possible dietary
recommendations.”
developing cancer.
Dr Louis Levy, of government health organisation Public Health England
He said findings in the report were
„broadly in line with current government
advice“, which is based on the possible
link between consuming red and processed meat and colorectal cancer.
„On average, we should be eating no more
than