Bacon-cancer link: head of UN agency at heart of furore defends its work

IARC's outgoing director attacks vested interests of critics but admits it could have communicated better

The head of the UN agency that provoked a massive outcry and some ridicule when it declared that bacon, red meat and glyphosate weedkiller caused cancer has defended its work, denying the announcements were mishandled and insisting on its independence.

Its outgoing director, Christopher Wild, fiercely defended the decisions and transparency of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), attacking the vested interests of its critics, many of whom are from multinational corporations.