The front page of The Times (15 February) carries a sensational (arguably sensationalist) warning about factory‑made (processed) food. As producers of premium raw dog food we know only too well the lack of scientific substance underlying many such scare stories. However, Dr Touvier and the French researchers studied the diets of 105,000 people and found that the quarter who ate the most “ultra-processed” food were 23 per cent more likely to get any type of cancer than the quarter who ate the least, according to the report in The BMJ.
Now we know that 50% of dogs that reach maturity will contract some form of cancer and a moment’s thought would suggest that we should at least consider the impact of a processed diet fed to them every day of their lives.
The World Health Organisation has already classed processed meats such as bacon and ham as carcinogenic but the new study looked more widely at industrialised “ultra-processed” foods, especially those made with preservatives and additives.
Dr Touvier said “In Europe we have over 400 authorised additives. Most of them are probably safe,” she said. “If it is due to some additives we have to say which ones.”France has introduced official recommendations urging people to avoid processed food. Dr Touvier said that while there was no need to panic, “the results suggest it would be better to eat raw or minimally processed food . . .
Solid research or not, that’s certainly what we believe at Cotswold RAW we remain
“Uncooked, Uncompromised”
Cotswold RAW comments on the health concerns over Ultra-Processed food
