Beef Lobby's New $2.8M Ad Campaign Glosses Over Lingering Health Questions, Say Cancer Researchers

American Institute for Cancer Research
Monday, 5 August 2002

"Macho" Ads Urge Increased Consumption of Grilled Meat

Citing evidence suggesting that diets high in meat - and grilled meat in particular - increase risk for several kinds of cancer, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) today cautioned men not to be swayed by a current ad campaign, which equates the act of grilling meat with manliness. The cancer experts found the ad's unsubtle assertion of a link between grilling meat and virility to be "comically unconvincing," and warned that eating large quantities of grilled meat may in fact be linked with higher cancer risk.

Through a massive summer ad campaign, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) is urging American men to buy, grill and consume more meat. One of these radio ads, airing until Labor Day in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington DC/Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Detroit and Chicago, features the voice of actor Sam Elliott, whose gravelly twang evokes John Wayne and the harsh, windswept landscapes of "Marlboro Country."

"What is it about a man who grills a steak?" the ad's narrator intones, as Aaron Copeland's "Rodeo" is heard in the background. "He'll stand there all alone in the dark dead of a frigid winter's night, pokin' and proddin' and turnin' his succulent flank steak, top round, chuck steak, T-bone, listenin' to it sizzle like some percussion jamboree. He understands the timeless marriage of man, fire and beef. Above him, the bone-white moon hangs like a spotlight. It speaks to him. It says, 'Man at the grill. Tonight, you are the star. And you and your steak: this is your show.' Beef. It's what's for dinner."

According to Roger Welder, Chairman of the NCBA Advertising Committee, "The ads recapture the values and images important to [cattle] producers and American consumers."

An NCBA statement explains that the concentrated, $2.8 million campaign is intended to convince consumers to "choose beef when grilling and to use their grill more often." The statement notes with dismay that "91 percent of consumers grill fewer than two times per week."

Experts at AICR, however, say that until more is known about the link between grilling and higher cancer risk, eating meat that has been grilled over an open flame twice a week is plenty. Furthermore, instead of gazing at the bone-white moon, the person at the grill should take extra care to minimize the risks associated with grilling. (See AICR's Tips for Safe Grilling, below.)

High-heat cooking methods like grilling have been shown to produce carcinogenic substances called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs). When a panel of cancer experts considered the influence of cooking methods on cancer risk, they concluded that the process of grilling meat possibly increases the risk of contracting some cancers.

The panel compiled and analyzed data from around the world on all aspects of the diet-cancer connection and issued the 670-page report, Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: a global perspective. On the basis of this report the panel issued a series of recommendations for the reduction of cancer risk.

Analysis of the evidence suggested that, regardless of cooking method, diets high in red meat are a probable risk factor for colorectal cancer, the third most common cancer in America, and a possible risk factor for cancers of the pancreas, breast, prostate and kidney. The report also concluded that the process of grilling meat poses a possible additional risk for colorectal and stomach cancers.

The expert panel recommended that people limit consumption of red meat to 3 ounces a day or less. It also advised that meat cooked over an open flame should be consumed "only occasionally."

"The beef lobby's appeal to machismo glosses over many legitimate scientific questions about how grilled meat fits into a healthy diet," said Melanie Polk, R.D., AICR Director of Nutrition Education. "We would urge caution until there is clarity, and this highly coordinated, government-and-industry-sponsored appeal to the nation's masculinity is only muddying the waters."

The ad campaign is being funded by beef producers, who donate one dollar for every head of cattle sold. The Cattlemen's Beef Board, which oversees the raising and distribution of these funds, is appointed by the US Secretary of Agriculture, who must approve how this money is spent.

The NCBA estimates that the radio ad campaign will by heard by 72 percent of its target audience six separate times over the course of the summer.

AICR's Tips for Safe Grilling

1. Grill veggies instead. Muscle meats like beef, chicken and fish pose the largest risk of cancer-promoting HCAs when grilled. Try grilling marinated vegetables on skewers, a grilling tray or wrapped in foil. Other healthy barbecue choices are veggie burgers, pizza, tofu or quesadillas. Grilled fruit makes a sweet, healthy dessert.
2. Marinating meats before grilling may significantly reduce the amount of HCAs.
3. Trim the fat. Choose lean, well-trimmed meats to grill; they have less fat to drip into the flames. Remove the skin from poultry. Avoid high-fat meats such as ribs or sausages.
4. Pre-cook meats, fish and poultry in the oven or microwave, then briefly grill for flavor.
5. Keep meat portions small so they need only spend a brief time on the grill. Skewered kabobs cook the fastest.
6. Fix the drips. Avoid letting juices drip into the flames or coals, which causes smoke and flare-ups. Use tongs or a spatula to turn foods instead of piercing meat with a fork. Covering the grill with punctured aluminum foil, not placing meats directly over coals and keeping a water spray bottle on hand (for control of flare-ups) are other ways to reduce the drips.
7. Flip frequently. Recent research has found that cooking hamburger patties at a lower temperature and turning them often accelerates the cooking process, helps prevent the formation of HCAs and is equally effective in killing bacteria.
8. Remove all charred and burnt portions of food before eating.

For more information, or to contact American Institute for Cancer Research, see their website at: www.aicr.org