It called for emergency coordination among all concerned parties and warned that a post-antibiotic era may be nigh, where common diseases will again risk people's lives, just 70 years after the invention of antibiotics.

Encouragingly, antibiotic alternatives have been developed and used by the animal husbandry industry. In China, more and more ferments and traditional Chinese medicine additives are used in raising animals to ensure good quality meat.

Sales of organic meat products that are low in fat and made from grass-fed animals have risen in recent years. People in China and elsewhere are shifting from canned, frozen and chilled varieties to fresh meat.

To my understanding, the WHO report is not an attack on people's rights or food habits. It is a research into the disadvantages of processed meat. It reminds people to be careful about the risks in unrestrained consumption of processed meat.

The WHO published the report in a well-meaning way. I believe health-conscious people will use it to make informed choices about their food and to form well-balanced daily diets. After all, there are many varieties of food besides red meat that can sate people's appetite for taste.