Landmark 84/100
IARC Monograph — Carcinogenicity of consumption of red and processed meat
In plain English
A working group of 22 scientists from 10 countries reviewed 800+ studies and formally classified processed meat (bacon, ham, salami, hot dogs) as a Group 1 carcinogen — the same category as tobacco and asbestos. Red meat was classified Group 2A (probable carcinogen), driven primarily by colorectal cancer evidence.
Why it matters
Processed meat = Group 1 carcinogen; red meat = Group 2A (probable).
Informs: Cancer
Provenance
- Design
- Systematic review
- Sample size (n)
- 800
- Peer-reviewed
- Yes
- Replications
- 3
- Funding
- Public / academic
- Funders
- WHO
- Institutions
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO)
decades.plus score
A transparent 0–100 weighted sum across six components. Higher scores reflect bigger, cleaner, more replicated work.
Landmark 84/100
Caveats
Group classifications reflect strength of evidence, not the size of the risk. A Group 1 classification doesn't mean processed meat is as dangerous as tobacco — just that the link is similarly well-established.
