WHO Warns Processed Meat Can Cause Cancer. Should You Stop Eating It?

Monday's official designation from the France-based International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the WHO, places processed meat in the Group 1 list as "carcinogenic to humans." The agency said it based the classification on sufficient evidence for colorectal cancer.

 

Tobacco, asbestos and diesel fumes are also on the Group 1 list. 

 

Most processed meats contain pork or beef. Examples include sausage, canned meat, beef jerky and anything smoked.