THE government U-turn on how much red meat is safe to eat without risking bowel cancer is not so much a political own goal, but another nail in the credibility of official food safety advice.

And coming after the beef-on-the-bone ban, which is widely perceived as needless, this mess is bound to stir up suspicions of behind-the-scenes manoeuvres.

Last September, Health Minister Frank Dobson warned that eating the average amount of red meat, sausages or burgers - just three ounces a day - was a risk. Now, that is said to be harmless and the limit is raised to five ounces a day.

Why this change? Is it because the government-appointed committee of experts on food safety couldn't agree a limit or does not really know what it should be?

Or is it that, as vegetarians claim, the government has bowed to pressure from increasingly-militant meat industry and countryside campaigners?

Consumers are increasingly confused and not sure who to believe. And this latest food fiasco will do nothing to restore confidence in the already-battered meat trade.

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