In bacon we trust

Did anybody notice the slew of stories quick to note the backlash against the scientific study showing a link between red meat and cancer? The message: to heck with science, we like our bacon. With its goody-two-shoes reputation, fresh produce will never join the ranks of outlaw foods populated with such maligned characters as spam, bacon and bologna. Note this diatribe:

“Whatever happened to 'All things in moderation'?” asked Center for Consumer Freedom Director of Research David Martosko. “The science on food and cancer is inconclusive. For every study suggesting steak will be the death of us, there's another one indicating it doesn't make any difference. Last month Harvard researchers, writing in the journal of the National Cancer Institute, concluded they couldn't even say for sure whether eating more fruits and vegetables would help prevent colon cancer. Giving lean meat the skull-and-crossbones treatment is counterproductive and sends the wrong message to consumers. Unfortunately, this will play right into the hands of animal rights groups and other single-issue extremists.”


And this story from the UK:

Consumers ignore cancer risks of eating red meat There's nothing like a bacon sarnie with brown sauce," says 36-year-old Nicola Doran as she waits in the queue at JBS butchers in east London.
Ms Doran's sentiments have been echoed across the country by meat enthusiasts who are turning a blind eye to the latest announcement from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), which states that bacon is such a cancer risk it should be avoided entirely.
The mother-of-two said: "It wouldn't put me off eating pork or bacon. I'm Irish, and people in Ireland were born and bred on pork; it's their number one meat and it never did them any harm."


And another....

Bacon ban backlash begins It’s a snack regarded as both a top hangover cure and the ideal start to a busy day, but health chiefs this week threatened the future of one of the nation’s favourite meals when they warned that people should cut out processed meats like bacon because of the associated risk of developing cancer.
But no sooner had the message emerged than the backlash against the bacon ban began.
Everyone from pig farmers to chefs yesterday urged people to keep eating the pig product – provided it was in safe quantities.
Farmer Helen Tongue said she was disappointed by the tough line taken on meat in the research by the World Cancer Research Fund