An alarmist article by NPR wants us to believe that we're in grave danger. That's because some deli meats have labels that are inaccurate, regarding the presence (or absence) of nitrate, a preservative. Here's the science that explains why the whole thing is nothing but a silly scare.
food scares
Anyone who searches long enough can find that pretty much everything has been linked to cancer. Bacon. Cell phones. Wi-Fi. Even looking at our video correspondent, Ana Dolaskie. At some point the insanity has to stop. Unfortunately, we have yet to reach that point.
Nearly 60 years ago, the first great chemical carcinogen scare put a damper on many folks' Thanksgiving celebrations. A chemical used in cultivating cranberries in the northwest was found to cause cancer at high doses in rodents, and the Federal health agency advised consumers to avoid cranberries. Utter nonsense, then and now.