In spite of global outcry over the World Health Organisation (WHO) report in October 2015 linking cancer and red meats, New Zealanders seem to be largely unaffected by the panic. Meat industry experts have revealed that processed meat sales in NZ have remained a healthy constant even a month after the report was released.

The WHO processed meat report had found surprising correlations between consumption of sausages, ham, bacon and incidence of bowel cancer. It was found that red meat is possibly carcinogenic.

Worried meat eaters had contacted WHO channels and processed meat sales in some parts of the world were greatly affected. According to The Guardian, bacon sales in the UK dipped by 16.5 percent, sausage sales by 13.9 percent and other processed meat sales declined by 10 percent. A staggering GBP £3 million (AUD $6.2 million) were lost in revenue due to the crash.

However, buying habits in NZ have not been affected by the WHO processed meat report.

Katherine Rich, chief executive of the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council, said that no noticeable changes in the demand for bacon were reported after the WHO processed meat report, although latest data was not yet available. “Most of the media coverage was factual and put the potential risks into context rather than sensationalising for effect,” Rich told Stuff NZ. “It looks like most New Zealanders understand that eating bacon in moderation is fine and that eating too much of any food is not healthy,” she added.

Fiona Greig, spokeswoman for Beef and Lamb New Zealand, a lobby group of meat processors, farmers and retailers, told NZ Herald that New Zealanders ate 22g of processed meat daily, on average. This is less than half the 50g amount stated by the WHO report to marginally increase cancer risk.

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