Beef + Lamb New Zealand says a new study, published in the United States, doesn't change the advice on eating meat in New Zealand.
The Harvard School of Public Health study suggests high intakes of red and processed meat are associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
But Beef + Lamb says that type of study can only show an association between red meat and diabetes, not that one causes the other.
Nutrition manager Fiona Carruthers says other similar studies have shown no link at all, and obesity is the most prevalent risk factor associated with diabetes.
The amounts of meat being eaten by study participants were also far greater than those eaten by most New Zealanders.
The study based its conclusions on those eating at least 45 grams of processed meat per day. New Zealanders' average daily intake is about half that.