News / National
Zimbabwe to ban sale of sausages
01 Nov 2015 at 08:40hrs | Views
Zimbabwe Government is contemplating banning sausages and other processed meats after the World Health Organisation (WHO) last week classified the products as one of the major causes of cancer alongside cigarettes.
According to a latest WHO report, processed meats have been singled out as causing close to 34 000 cancer-related deaths per year worldwide.
Processed meats include bacon, sausages, hot dogs, salami, polony and ham, as well as canned meat and meat-based sauces.
These recent findings come after Government announced that it is planning to introduce a law that prohibits public smoking.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care is now making the necessary consultations before possibly implementing the ban on the sale and consumption of processed meats.
Minister of Health and Child Care Dr David Parirenyatwa said while they had received the report they were carrying out the necessary consultations at a local level to weigh the possibilities of the ban.
"They (WHO) are not saying processed meats are at the same level as cigarettes; the report warns on the dangers of these processed meats, which is why we will have to go over it as Government and come up with a possible way forward. What you have to note is these decisions are not just made prematurely there are a lot of issues that have to be considered but for now the least we can do is advise people to watch what they eat and not expose themselves to food that can have effects on their health," said Dr Parirenyatwa.
According to a latest WHO report, processed meats have been singled out as causing close to 34 000 cancer-related deaths per year worldwide.
Processed meats include bacon, sausages, hot dogs, salami, polony and ham, as well as canned meat and meat-based sauces.
These recent findings come after Government announced that it is planning to introduce a law that prohibits public smoking.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care is now making the necessary consultations before possibly implementing the ban on the sale and consumption of processed meats.
Minister of Health and Child Care Dr David Parirenyatwa said while they had received the report they were carrying out the necessary consultations at a local level to weigh the possibilities of the ban.
"They (WHO) are not saying processed meats are at the same level as cigarettes; the report warns on the dangers of these processed meats, which is why we will have to go over it as Government and come up with a possible way forward. What you have to note is these decisions are not just made prematurely there are a lot of issues that have to be considered but for now the least we can do is advise people to watch what they eat and not expose themselves to food that can have effects on their health," said Dr Parirenyatwa.
Source - Sunday News
