MEDICAL MISCELLANY

THIS week: Do chicken slices count as ‘processed’ meat?

PROCESSED meat has been linked to bowel cancer, and people who eat more than the recommended maximum of 50g daily — equivalent to two slices of ham or half a hot dog — have been found to have a 17 per cent higher risk of developing the disease, writes

Claire Fogarty.

‘Processed meat is any meat that has been preserved by smoking, curing, salting, or the addition of a preservative — this includes bacon, salami, hot dogs and wafer-thin chicken,’ explains Linia Patel, a dietitian and spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association.

It’s thought that the chemicals used in preservatives damage cells in the body, leading to cancer.

As it is the additive that makes meat processed, minced meat and, therefore, some burgers, aren’t in this category (though like all red meat, they should be eaten in moderation).