What’s so bad about processed meat?

A World Health Organisation declaration that processed meat causes cancer might just not be the red flag yet for hot dogs and bacon to disappear from our breakfast menu.

The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer analysed 800 studies globally and found that processed meats cause bowel cancer, placing it in the same carcinogenic bracket as alcohol, asbestos and tobacco.

It also said red meat could significantly raise the risk of cancer. The report should be seen as a confirmation of the vague suspicion the public always had about the risks of processed food in general, rather than as a clarion call to radically revamp our dietary choices.

You will not die of bowel cancer if you have a couple of sausages in a week or the occasional meaty sandwich — but the regular consumption of cigarettes is far more likely to hasten your end.

However, if you live off canned meat and sausages throughout the week, then this is a wake up call to consume processed meat — and everything else — in moderation.

As with any other diet and lifestyle-related risks, cutting down on excesses is the key rather than shunning it altogether.