A new report by a team of international experts has concluded that pork products and red meat increase the likelihood of cancer, but at least two associations representing the meat industry are vigorously disputing the findings.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer—which is part of the World Health Organization—recently had a committee of 22 international experts review decades of research about the link between red meat, processed meats and cancer, The Washington Post reported.

The committee concluded there was a link, but that conclusion was not unanimous among committee members. Meat industry associations pounced on that lack of consensus, arguing that identifying the probable cause of cancer is very difficult. http://wapo.st/1P0X5Rs

"Billions of dollars have been spent on studies all over the world and no single food has ever been proven to cause or cure cancer," said Shalene McNeill, executive director of human nutrition research at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. "The opinion by the IARC committee to list red meat as a probable carcinogen does not change that fact."

The North American Meat Institute called the committee's conclusion a "dramatic and alarmist overreach." It instead pointed to studies that stressed the importance of a balanced diet that includes meat.

"It was clear sitting in the IARC meeting that many of the panelists were aiming for a specific result despite old, weak, inconsistent, self-reported intake data," said Betsy Booren, vice president of scientific affairs for NAMI. "They tortured the data to ensure a specific outcome."

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