Food irradiation and Consumer Reports

[RuthWeiner@AOL.COM]

I have just sent the following letter to Consumer Reports -- thought you all might be interested.


Ruth


December 4, 2002


Letters to the Editor

Consumer Reports


Dear Editor:


I am stunned that, in your article on bacterial contamination of chicken, you completely failed to mention gamma irradiation as a method for eliminating the bacterial contamination.  Have you, too, been co-opted by some sort of anti-radiation hysteria?  Have you capitulated to the vicious rumor that irradiating chickens would be used to "cover up" unsanitary processing conditions?  No one except anti-nuclear organizations ever suggested such a thing.


When I cook, I follow your recommended procedures (page 28) closely.  If the HACCP procedures don't eliminate contamination, how can I be certain that my home procedures will eliminate it? If the HACCP procedures and random testing for salmonella still result in salmonella contamination of 12% of your randomly purchased chickens, isn't irradiation worth considering?  It is after all a tested process that is currently in use.  


Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.

ruthweiner@aol.com