THE list of safe foods to eat is getting shorter and shorter.
This after the World Health Organisation this week classified processed meats as a carcinogenic (Group 1) while red meat has been classified as probably carcinogenic (Group 2A) to humans
Examples of processed meat include hot dogs (frankfurters), ham, sausages, corned beef and biltong or beef jerky as well as canned meat and meat based preparations and sources.
The study into processed meats and red meats was conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organisation.
According to 22 experts from 10 countries, each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of cancer by 18 per cent adding that there is sufficient evidence in humans that consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer.
Processed meat now joins tobacco smoking and asbestos as Group 1 carcinogens however the WHO said this did not mean they were all equally dangerous.
“The IARC classifications describe the strength of scientific evidence about an agent being the cause of cancer rather than assessing the level of risk.”
As of yesterday the Ministry of Health said they were unaware of the report from the WHO.
When contacted yesterday National Adviser Communicable Diseases Dr Isimeli Tukana said the Foods Unit and WHO have been consulted on the report for verification purposes
When questioned on whether the Ministry of Health had noticed a link between consumption of processed meats and colorectal cancer in Fiji, the ministry also stated they were not aware of the report. Meanwhile, questions sent to processed meat makers yesterday remained unanswered and the Consumer Council will comment today on the issue.
The report from the IARC also stated that red meat has been classified as probably carcinogenic to humans based on limited evidence that the consumption of red meat causes cancer in humans and strong mechanistic evidence supporting a carcinogenic effect.