Research shows that Australians consume nearly 17 kilograms of processed meat every year.
However, this widespread love for processed foods is becoming a major health concern.
In 2015, the World Health Organisation (WHO) classified processed meats, including sausages and bacon, as a Group 1 carcinogen, placing them in the same category as tobacco and asbestos.
Despite this, the processed meat industry continues to thrive, and in the past year alone, over 300 new fast food outlets opened across Australia.
So, is the processed meat industry killing us with the foods we love?
Lucie Morris-Marr, an investigative journalist and author of Processed: How the Processed Meat Industry is Killing Us with the Food We Love, is on a mission to raise awareness about the dangers of processed meats.
At just 44, Morris-Marr was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer.
“I’ve had people say to me, everything causes cancer, but that’s not true because you could swap your bacon for falafel or halloumi, and they’re not necessarily quite as risky,” Morris-Marr said.
She highlighted that Australia’s processed meat industry is a $4 billion business, employing 10,000 people and also exporting meat.
“It’s a hugely profitable business and it’s all about the bottom line. It’s all about sales,” she added.
The rise in fast food consumption, particularly the spread of delivery services like UberEats, also makes it easier than ever for Australians to access fast food.
“What’s scary is if they (teenagers) are eating this high fat, high salt, high sugar, high refined carbohydrates, which of course leads to obesity, diabetes, heart disease. And that also for young people, you’re setting yourself up.”
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