WHO defines processed meats as “meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavor or improve preservation… Examples of processed meat include hot dogs (frankfurters), ham, sausages, corned beef, and biltong or beef jerky as well as canned meat and meat-based preparations and sauces.”

The findings are sure to be controversial. The beef industry in the U.S. is huge – $95 billion a year – and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has already weighed in saying it doesn’t think there is evidence to support any link between red meat and cancer.

Here & Now’s Robin Young talks with one of the researchers, Dr. Kurt Straif of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the WHO, about the findings.