Processed Cancer and World Health Organization - Essay Example

The Global Health organizations made the announcements a year after deliberations by a team of international scientists and the scientists claim that they have known for some time about the probable link between processed meat and cancer. However, their recent scientific findings turn a probable cause into a genuine one backed by substantial evidence. It is worth noting that went through more than eight hundred epidemiological studies on cancer and processed meat and red meat. The scientists used evidence that pointed to three cases per a hundred thousand that led to bowel cancer in adults, especially in developed countries. The report states that an additional 1.8 ounces of processed meat intake increases the risk by 18 percent (Whoriskey, 2015).

However, the ninety-five-billion-dollar U.S. beef industry is not too pleased with the announcement, and its lobbyists are questioning the validity of the evidence and they also question whether the evidence was substantial enough. In society, meat and the products of processed meat form an essential part of the daily diet and they contribute billions regarding employment and taxes to individuals and the federal government. Therefore, this classification alongside smoking is bound to create challenges from lobbyists. They argue that no proven case that processed meat causes cancer, and they also use the classification together with smoking to argue that processed meat is not as deadly as smoking. The lobbyists are worried that the headline conclusion would tarnish the image of the meat industry. They also argue that processed meat forms an essential part of the diet that contributes vitamins, proteins, and minerals to our daily intake (Kelland, Hunt, & Geller, 2015).

Focus has shifted back to the scientists because they form an important block of persons who can shed further light on this subject. For example, the meat industry has used evidence suggesting that reducing meat intake did not lower any cancer risk. Therefore, claiming that the reduction in processed meat intake was too small to have an impact. It is worth noting that the meat industry funds a significant amount of research to obtain favorable outcomes and switch the debate to its side (Boseley, 2015). It underlines the importance of scientists in framing the societal debate. The World Health Organization has also used countless researchers and a panel of scientists to come to its conclusion. Read More