The World Health Organisation announced on Monday that processed meat such as hot dogs, bacon, sausage can cause cancer.
The WHO findings were drafted by a panel of 22 international experts who reviewed decades of research on the link between red meat, processed meats and cancer.
The panel also speculated that red meat can also cause cancer. Kurt Straif, an official with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer said “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.
“In view of the large number of people who consume processed meat, the global impact on cancer incidence is of public health importance.”
The panel revealed that a total of 34,000 cancer deaths a year worldwide are attributable to diets high in processed meats.