The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently published a report looking into evidence that processed meats cause some cancers.
The report classifies red meat as probably carcinogenic, and processed meats as carcinogenic to humans. But what does this mean?
In the agency’s own words, “this category is used when there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans. In other words, there is convincing evidence that the agent causes cancer. The evaluation is usually based on epidemiological studies showing the development of cancer in exposed humans. In the case of processed meat, this classification is based on sufficient evidence from epidemiological studies that eating processed meat causes colorectal cancer”.
Nowhere does the IARC—an internal World Health Organization agency—say there is risk of cancer, simply that there is evidence. While this may seem like a small distinction, it is a significant one in its implications.
But some confusion over the report mixed with sloppy reporting has resulted in a morass of misinformation about the IARC findings.
Initial headlines decried any and all processed meats, and quoted health gurus who have long since struck meat from a healthy diet. This led Big Meat to push back, and empathize the complexity of a disease like cancer, and even call the science behind the IARC’s ruling into question.
This kind of confusion has caused a lot of people to cut their losses and go meatless. The Financial Times reported that three weeks after the WHO findings were published, packaged sausage sales in Britain were down by 16%.
Americans may also be looking for meat alternatives. According to a new report from Technavio, the soy food market in the US is expected to reach a value of $16.75 billion by 2019, growing at a CAGR of 2.63%.
Whole soy food market share in the US
Source: Technavio, 2015
According to the report, two of the big reasons for moderate increases in soy consumption in the US are demand for plant protein and general health consciousness, as more Americans swap out meat for alternatives like soy.
But will a few well-placed headlines be enough to curb the appetites of the meat eaters of the world? At this point, it’s too early to tell if there’s a direct correlation between this rise in soy consumption and the IARC findings, and it remains to be seen what the long-term impact of the report and—more importantly—the irresponsible reporting on its findings will be.
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