The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in Beijing on Friday that it will assess a report that classified processed and red meat as carcinogenic.

Francesco Branca, director of the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development at WHO, made the remarks via a press briefing held by WHO representatives in China on Friday in Beijing.

On Monday, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under WHO released a statement linking the consumption of processed meat and red meat to cancer.

Though processed meat has been ranked with tobacco as the top causes of cancer, eating processed meat is far less risky than smoking, said Branca.

Branca stressed that the cancer report was suggesting that people eat less processed and red meat rather than asking them to totally give up.

According to Branca, the WHO will be able to work out safety standards for processed and red meat consumption after further risk evaluation.