The nation's ham and sausage industry is taking a hit from the World Health Organization's October report linking processed meat with cancer, as the oseibo year-end gift-giving season shifts into full swing.
The WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) sent shock waves across the globe on Oct. 26 when it released a report analyzing 800 studies from around the world that concluded processed meats such as sausages, ham, and hot dogs can cause bowel cancer, and red meat "probably" does, too.
While the agency said this was dwarfed by the estimated 1 million cancer deaths attributed to tobacco smoking, 600,000 to alcohol use, and more than 200,000 to air pollution each year, some consumers in Japan have shied away from sending processed meat products as gifts.