Everything you need to know about the warning

The announcement followed extensive research by experts worldwide who said there was a definitive link between the consumption of processed meat and specifically colorectal cancer.

CONFUSED about? Health writer Estelle Ellis breaks down the science behind the warning.

Which meats were studied? Beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse and goat meat. The studies included mince.

Processed meats included anything that was salted, cured, fermented, smoked or underwent any other process to enhance flavour or improve preservation. The problem: Meat processing can result in the formation of carcinogenic chemicals.

High-temperature cooking by pan-frying, grilling, or barbecuing generally produces the highest amounts of these chemicals. The link: Depending on the country, the proportion of the population that consumes red meat varies worldwide from less than 5% to up to 100%, and from less than 2% to 65% for processed meat.

The main intake of red meat by those who consume it is about 50-100g per person per day, with high consumption equalling more than 200g per person per day. How did they do their research? Experts assessed more than 800 studies that investigated the association of cancer with consumption of red meat or processed meat in many countries, with diverse ethnicities and diets.