The World Health Organization released a new report Monday connecting red and processed meats to cancer in humans, and the news dominated headlines throughout the day.
But, surprisingly enough, WHO’s report had a seemingly minor impact on hot dog makers’ and meat sellers’ stock prices.
Kelsey Gee and Shirley S. Wang of The Wall Street Journal has the day’s heartbreaking news:
Red and processed meats have the potential to cause cancer in humans, according to a report by a World Health Organization agency that is drawing ire from meat industry groups that argue the science is inadequate.
The determination, published by a panel of researchers for the International Agency for Research on Cancer in a medical journal Monday, classifies processed meat products like salami and bacon carcinogenic to humans, the strongest level of risk for cancer, and a category shared with tobacco smoke and diesel engine exhaust.
Fresh meats like steaks and roasts are considered probably cancer-causing, a level of risk shared with the widely used herbicide glyphosate.
The IARC, considered an authority in evaluating evidence on cancer causation cited studies that conclude there is strong evidence to support a link between eating too much meat and the onset of colorectal cancer, the third-most common type world-wide.
“On the basis of the large amount of data and the consistent associations of colorectal cancer with consumption of processed meat across studies in different populations, which make chance, bias, and confounding unlikely as explanations, a majority of the Working Group concluded that there is sufficient evidence in human beings for the carcinogenicity of the consumption of processed meat,” according to the report, which appears in the
The processed meat classification was based on evidence linking consumption with colorectal and stomach cancer, while the red meat classification took into account the positive associations with colorectal, pancreatic and prostate cancer, said the authors in the report.
Peter Whoriskey of The Washington Post explained how the decision wasn’t unanimous:
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 reviewed animal experiments, studies of human diet and health, and cell processes that could explain how red meat might cause cancer.
But the panel’s decision was not unanimous, and by raising lethal concerns about a food that anchors countless American meals, it will be controversial.
The $95 billion U.S. beef industry has been preparing for months to mount a response, and some scientists, including some unaffiliated with the meat industry, have questioned whether the evidence is substantial enough to draw the strong conclusions that the WHO panel did.
In reaching its conclusion, the panel sought to quantify the risks, and compared to carcinogens such as cigarettes, the magnitude of the danger appears small, experts said. The WHO panel cited studies suggesting that an additional 3.5 ounces of red meat everyday raises the risk of colorectal cancer by 17 percent; eating an additional 1.8 ounces of processed meat daily raises the risk by 18 percent, according to the research cited.
“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 Kurt Straif, an official with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, which produced the report. “In view of the large number of people who consume processed meat, the global impact on cancer incidence is of public health importance.”
About 34,000 cancer deaths a year worldwide are attributable to diets high in processed meats, according to figures cited by the panel.
Alanna Petroff of CNN Money showed how the meat industry reacted to the news:
Meat industry groups slammed the WHO report as biased and misleading.
“They tortured the data to ensure a specific outcome,” said Betsy Booren, vice president of scientific affairs at the North American Meat Institute.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said the scientists who issued the report were split on their decision to make an explicit link between red meat with cancer.
“As a registered dietitian and mother, my advice hasn’t changed,” said Shalene McNeill, an executive director at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “To improve all aspects of your health, eat a balanced diet, which includes lean meats like beef, maintain a healthy weight, be physically active and, please don’t smoke.”
Joseph Pisani of The Associated Press explained how hot dog makers and meat sellers were not very affected by the report:
Hormel Foods, which sells Spam, sliced bacon and canned chili, said the report “did not look at the benefits of meat consumption,” which it cited as including “important nutrients” and “high quality proteins.”
But Hormel may also be preparing for a shift in consumers eating less processed foods. Earlier this year it paid $775 million to buy Applegate Farms, which sells organic deli meats, hot dogs and bacon, and doesn’t use antibiotics, hormones, artificial ingredients or chemical preservatives.
Shares of Hormel Foods Corp. fell 1 percent Monday, as did shares of Kraft Heinz Co., which makes Oscar Mayer hot dogs. Shares of Tyson Foods Inc., the maker of Ball Park hot dogs, Jimmy Dean sausage and Hillshire Farm ham, fell nearly 5 percent, but that was attributed more to a research report from a JPMorgan Chase analyst that said Tyson is losing market share to competitors.
Whether Americans will stay away from hot dogs, bacon and other meaty treats remains to be seen. Visitors at a food court in New York’s Penn Station, which houses a Nathan’s Famous hot dog restaurant, mostly said the WHO report won’t change what they eat.
“People nowadays, they say ‘I’m going to change my eating habits,’ but when you’re hungry and you have to grab something close by, you’re going to eat there,” said Randy Duran of New York.
Clevie Henry from St. Lucia said the convenience and taste of processed meat outweighs the pitfalls.
