The Egyptian Processed Meat Division of the Federation of Industries criticized a Wednesday report by the World Health Organization categorizing processed meats as cancer-causing.
The Processed Meat Division announced an emergency meeting Monday to discuss the report.
President of the Consumer Protection Agency Atef Yacoub said an emergency committee comprised officials from the health and agriculture ministries started to study the report on Wednesday, stressing that the WHO statement is based on suspicions that are not yet proved.
The WHO report will have a devastating impact on the processed meat factories if they are obliged to write on their products that it is cancer-causing, like cigarette factories, said Mohamed al-Shafei, head of the Meat and Poultry Division.
The division will contact processed meat factories in Egypt and Arab countries to discuss possible steps to protect its investment, he added.
Tarek Madkour, managing director of one of the processed meat companies, said processed meat factories operate in accordance with the rules and specifications of the Codex Alimentarius organization.
President of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce Khaled Fathalla said that processed meat sales have not been affected so far and the issue may require a week to know its impact.
According to the WHO report, eating 50 grams of processed meat, such as sausage, increases the chances of colon cancer by 18 percent.
The WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said the report is a warning to reduce eating processed meat, but not to abstain from eating it.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
