The World Health Organization Just Crushed Your Bacon Dreams

Let's be frank. We love bacon. We love sausage. Lately, we've been particularly obsessed with that spicy, spreadable fermented sausage known as 'nduja. (See here, here and here.) So, naturally, we're reacting with more than a little concern to this new report by the World Health Organization basically stating that bacon, sausage and other processed meats cause cancer — red meat, too. The Washington Post breaks down the WHO's findings here. The report is sure to generate controversy, and the U.S. meat industry has already mobilized a response. A spokesperson for the cattle business, for one, bluntly dismissed the results: "We simply don't think the evidence supports any causal link between any red meat and any type of cancer." And before we rush to judgment, we'll be seeking the heady advice of our butcher. But if you were ever looking for an excuse to do the Meatless Monday thing, well, this could be it.