The home of “Parma ham”, defending the superiority of processed meats from Emilia, is urging consumers not to get into a “prosciutto panic” after a warning that processed meat can cause cancer, as trumpeted by raving World Health Organisation.
Italian food and farming groups responded indignantly to W.H.O. report that put processed meats, such as ham, sausage and salami, all together with asbestos and tobacco on a list of carcinogens.
“No to meat terrorism, the Italian food is the healthiest,” agricultural association “Coldiretti” said in a statement, crediting the country’s diet for one of the highest life expectancies in the world – 80 years for men and 85 for women.
“Coldiretti” also underlines the non-health aspects of issue, noting the meat industry in Italy generates 32 billion euros ($35 billion) a year in sales and provides work for 180,000 people.
“We might suffer an economic hit,” Nicola Levoni, whose family company has been producing ham, salami and mortadella sausage in northern Italy for four generations, told La Repubblica newspaper. “At the moment there’s a risk that someone standing in front of a greengrocer and a butcher’s shop will only go into the former, but they should be shopping in both, because our meat is good,” Levoni said.
Health Ministry Beatrice Lorenzin said people shouldn’t be afraid of the findings, which pointed through too “limited evidence” that the processed beef, lamb and pork caused cancer. “We have always known that eating too much red and fatty meat is bad for you.”
Indeed W.H.O. just discovered “hot water” in 21st century, as recites a popular Italian saying!
Despite all, already the fear suggested by the report has spread among consumers as an uncontrollable psychopathological disease. Given estimates suggest 34,000 deaths from cancer every year could be avoided through diets with less processed meat. While approx 150 people each year die for falling coconuts; the demolition of the Berlin Wall caused 943 victims for falling bricks.
The health ministry has asked the national Commission for Food Safety to look into the matter.
i wouldnt be suprised if this w.h.o report was released as nothing but paid propaganda by some saudi arab billionaire islamist that with so much money they can buy someone to write this report to further push sharia worldwide.
these saudi, uae, qatar zealot warlords do not share with each other so they have billions upon billions upon billions to literally throw around like pocket change to buy reports, political favor, contracts,people and land to build mosques.
its not that far fetched.
I must agree 🙂