Leading urban news media seem to be the only ones surprised
by Monday’s announcement from the United Nations that eating processed meats is
linked with a higher rate of colon cancer.
The report also says there is a lesser link between red meat
and cancer.
Media, such as the CBC National, featured several stories about the report, including an interview with a Saskatchewan beef farmer.
The meat-packing industry, dieticians and the medical
community have all known for decades that there is a statistical link between
processed meats and a higher incidence of cancer.
Forty years ago researchers were warning that nitrates used
as a preservative in many processed meats, such as bacon, sausages and hot
dogs, could combine with amines in the saliva in human mouths to form
nitrosamines which were even then known to be a relatively high-risk
carcinogen.
Dieticians and medical doctors have been warning for decades
that North Americans are eating too much red meat.
The North American meat industry began anticipating this
report several weeks ago, so was ready with responses generally saying there is
still no cause-and-effect proof and that it is a statistical link.
The meat industry is also saying that meat, consumed in
moderation, is safe and nutritious.
