LOS ANGELES -- An advocacy group wants to ban the Los Angeles Unified School District from serving processed meat to students.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says it filed a lawsuit Tuesday asking a court to ban the meat in the nation's second-largest school district. It seeks the same ban for the Poway district in San Diego County.
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The group says studies have linked consumption of meats such as bacon to disease risks.
The San Diego lawsuit cites a 2015 report by a World Health Organization research group. The report concluded that eating the equivalent of one hot dog a day slightly increased the risk of colorectal cancer.
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The North American Meat Institute calls the lawsuit a publicity stunt. It says meat can be a nutritious part of a balanced diet.
A file image shows a lunch at a school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. (KABC)