New National TV Ad Calls for Hot Dog Ban in Schools

Provocative Spot Highlights Cancer Risk from Processed Meats; Commercial
Airing in Cities Across the Country; Survey Shows Atlanta, L.A., Chicago,
Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and D.C. Schools Are Worst Offenders

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Schools should stop serving hot
dogs and other processed meats because even small amounts increase the risk of
adult cancer, says a provocative new commercial airing on TV stations around
the country. The spot is produced by the Cancer Project, an affiliate of the
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

"Protect Our Kids," which can be watched online at
http://www.pcrm.org/hotdog.html, is based on a comprehensive report released
late last year by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World
Cancer Research Fund. After reviewing all existing data on nutrition and
cancer risk, scientists concluded that processed meat increases one's risk of
colorectal cancer, on average, by 21 percent for every 50 grams of processed
meat consumed daily. (A 50-gram serving is approximately the size of a typical
hotdog.) The landmark report clearly states that no amount of processed meat
is considered safe to eat; it should be completely avoided.

"Cancer risk starts early," says Neal Barnard, M.D., president of the Cancer
Project. "If we don't protect our kids by removing hot dogs, sausages, and
deli slices, and pepperoni from our schools, we're stacking the cards against
them. Lifetime cancer risk is already one in three for women and one in two
for men. Given the terrible eating habits of so many American children, we're
setting them up for even worse odds down the road."

The AICR report's conclusion that processed meat increases colorectal cancer
risk was based on a review of 44 case-control studies (in which the diets of
individuals with cancer were compared with those of individuals who did not
have cancer, but who were similar in other respects) and 14 cohort studies (in
which the diets of individuals were assessed before cancer onset, and the
individuals were followed over time to assess relationships between diet
patterns and cancer risk).

The Cancer Project is currently campaigning to reform the federal Child
Nutrition Act, up for renewal in 2009, which determines what foods are served
in the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture currently includes processed meats in the lists of commodity foods
available to schools.

A new Cancer Project survey of 29 U.S. school districts shows that many school
menus are packed with processed meats. All breakfasts offered in Minneapolis
elementary, middle, and high schools, for example, contain sausage and other
processed meats. The same is true for all regular breakfasts offered in
Philadelphia schools.

Sixty percent of all elementary school breakfasts, 80 percent of all middle
school breakfasts, and 80 percent of all high school breakfasts in the Los
Angeles Unified School District contain processed meats. Half of all
elementary and middle school breakfasts in the Chicago Public Schools offer
processed meats, as do 100 percent of its high school meals. Eighty-eight
percent of breakfasts in D.C. middle and high schools contain processed meats.

School districts with the most processed meat at lunch include Atlanta;
Chicago; Clark County, Nevada; Prince George's County, Maryland; Columbus,
Ohio; Hancock, West Virginia; New York City; and Detroit.

Every year, 160,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 50,000
die of it. About half of all cases are already incurable when found. Some of
the school districts with the highest rates of processed meat are in states
with the highest rates of colorectal cancer. Illinois, for example, has the
third highest incidence in the country, and West Virginia the highest.

"Protect Our Kids" is a 30-second spot featuring three young children in an
elementary school who describe their lives from the perspective of adults with
cancer. The commercial invites the viewer to join the campaign to "get
processed meats out of our schools."

To watch the commercial online and learn more about the Cancer Project's
campaign, please visit http://www.pcrm.org/hotdog.html.

The Cancer Project is a collaborative effort of physicians, researchers, and
nutritionists who have joined together to educate the public about the
benefits of a healthy diet for cancer prevention and survival. Based in
Washington, D.C., the Cancer Project is an affiliate of the Physicians
Committee for Responsible Medicine.

SOURCE The Cancer Project

Jeanne McVey of The Cancer Project, +1-202-686-2210, ext. 316,
jeannem@pcrm.org