Meat-lover Michael Symon blasts WHO meat study

Earlier this week, meat lovers everywhere bemoaned the results of a new study released by the World Health Organization that declared processed meats such as sausages, bacon, and ham to be carcinogenic to humans-- lumping the beloved proteins into the same category as cigarettes and asbestos.

But the news for carnivores got worse. WHO research also labeled red meats like non-cured pork, beef, and lamb as "probably carcinogenic.”

Amid the outcry from meat producers and lovers everywhere was a particularly long Facebook post from carnivore-centric celebrity chef Michael Symon.  Symon, best known as a co-star of ABC's "The Chew", who penned a cookbook “Carnivore: 120 Recipes for Meat Lovers," called the study a "witch hunt" and a "disservice" for lumping in mass produced meat with “crafted artisan products.”

“To say I am disappointed in your witch hunt..errr "research" would be to put it mildly a understatement,” the Food Network star posted. “First off why wouldn't you take this opportunity to talk about the huge division of meat and meat products that are out there. To group factory farmed, mass produced products loaded with hormones, words we can't pronounce and man made nitrates with beautifully raised, produced & crafted artisan products is an incredible disservice to those who work so hard to do things the right way.”

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He also blasted media organizations for using gimmicky, click bait headlines for exacerbating the problem.

“Also when digging deeper in the article it mentions that a diet filled these so called deadly products effects less than 1% of people or 30,000 people WORLDWIDE ANNUALLY. To put that in perspective deaths caused by car accidents and smoking where 1.3 million and 900,000 last year.”

Symon caps off his rant-- which has received over 45,000 likes-- with a personal anecdote about an elderly relative who clearly wasn’t phased by the research.

“On a happier note my 97 year grandfather called me today laughing about the article while enjoying a BLT from his couch.”