The antibiotic, carbadox, has been used in pig farming in the US since the 1970s, and is also designed to prevent dysentery and improve weight gain. Despite its widespread use for more than 40 years, scientists from America’s drug and health regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have issued the alert only in the last few days.

However, it’s not just processed meats made from pig liver that are carcinogenic, or cancer-causing: according to the World Health Organization (WHO), all processed meats are carcinogenic to humans. Processing and preparing the meats in factories and production plants triggers carcinogenic chemicals.