Experts say there is now convincing evidence that processed meat is a cause of bowel cancer and people are being advised to cut it out altogether.
Processed meat is under fire in the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) report, released on Thursday.
Making filled rolls is a daily ritual in every school cafeteria. But a key ingredient in the popular lunch is under the spotlight.
"It is good not to have too many processed things but it's very difficult in our situation to take all processed meats away," says Beryl Hill, school canteen manager.
Processed meat includes ham, pastrami, salami and bacon. Also being panned are sausages containing preservatives and no amount is considered safe.
So, what does the general public make of the findings?
"As long as it looks good on the plate it doesn't bother me," says one shopper
"I'd probably look a little more carefully at the ingredients," adds another.
"It would make me think about it, yes, very much so," says one man.
Dieticians say parents do have alternatives for school lunches.
"We could use chicken, eggs, hummus, some tinned fish, cheese ...these are all substitutes, which could be used instead of luncheon sausage," says dietician Kathy Fouhy.
The meat industry in New Zealand says the international report
needs to be given a local flavour. They say New Zealanders are
eating the right amount of fresh meat and point out that we don't
eat nearly as much of processed meat as Europeans.
But dieticians recommend that New Zealanders weigh up what is in
their entire diet.
"It's a bit like chocolate - of course you can have it, but you just can't sit down and have a whole block every night," says Fouhy.
Now it is up to consumers to decide if processed meat is on the chopping block.
Will the news of a link between cancer and processed meats, make you think twice about the foods you eat? Have your say in our message board below:
