Re: Food Irradiation

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@ix.netcom.com>]

In response to Kent's post regarding food irradiation, these are two 
artilces that I sent out last night to my news distribution group.
=========================

Friday September 5 5:56 PM EDT 

White House sends meat bill language to Congress

WASHINGTON, Sept 5 (Reuter) - The White House formally sent to
Congress on Friday a bill to broaden U.S. meat recall regulations but
it arrived too late for the bill to be filed this week. 

Several lawmakers were interested in sponsoring the bill, unveiled
last week by Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, but had to delay
action while the White House budget office examined the proposal. 

Glickman said the government needed the power to order recalls -- they
now are voluntary -- as well as impose up to $100,000 fines for
violations and the ability to deny inspection to plants with willful
or repeated violations. 

The only bill pending in Congress at present was by Representative
Nita Lowey, New York Democrat, to authorize fines against firms who
violate meat safety rules. It was filed July 31. 

``This is not a new concept,'' Lowey said in a statement. ``Civil
fines are a quicker, more effective deterrent for violators of food
safety laws than the lengthy legal process needed to obtain a criminal
conviction.'' 

A bill to give recall and civil penalty powers to the Food and Drug
Administration was under review at the budget office. An FDA spokesman
said the legislation might be released next week. 

The Agriculture Department is in charge of meats and meat products.
FDA has jurisdiction over seafood, raw foods and processed foods. 

Meanwhile, two food industry groups, the National Food Processors
Association and American Meat Institute, asked FDA for a prompt
decision on irradiation as a method to assure beef safety. FDA has
been reviewing the question for three years. 

NFPA president John Cady said in a letter that ``instead of requesting
a massive expansion of government power to mandate a recall, the FDA
could prevent more recalls by making irradiation available to meat
processors -- now.'' 

Irradiation is employed by three dozen countries for a variety of
foods. It uses low-level doses of radiation to destroy dangerous
organisms.
 ======================

Thursday September 4 8:31 PM EDT 

US meat group urges FDA to allow beef irradiation

WASHINGTON, Sept 4 (Reuter) - The American Meat Institute urged the
Food and Drug Administration on Thursday to speed up the approval of a
three-year-old petition to permit beef irradiation to destroy a
virulent strain of E.coli. 

An irradiation equipment maker asked the FDA to approve the
irradiation of red meat in July 1994, recognizing that the treatment
had already been approved for use on poultry, pork, spices, fruits and
vegetables. 

``For over three years, the meat industry has been assured that the
irradiation petition is moving forward within FDA,'' the institute's
president, J. Patrick Boyle, said in a letter to FDA Deputy
Commissioner Michael Friedman. 

``In the wake of the recent, highly publicized outbreak of food-borne
illness linked to E.coli 0157:H7, we are compelled to ask, what is
delaying this improtant petition?'' 

Since Hudson Foods Inc (HFI) recalled 25 million pounds of hamburger
in August because of suspected contamination by the E.coli 0157:H7,
the government, industry and consumer groups have been searching for
ways to improve food safety and reassure the public. 

Consumer groups and industry opponents argue irradiation raises
environmental and worker safety issues, strips nutrients and affects
food taste. 

Boyle said 38 other countries had embraced the technology for a
variety of foods and the United States has the toughest regulations on
the doses of radiation energy allowed. 

The institute said its foundation's research had shown that
irradiation was effective in destroying the potentially deadly strain
of E.coli in ground beef patties. 
------------------
Sandy Perle
Technical Director
ICN Dosimetry Division
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Office: (800) 548-5100 x2306 
Fax:    (714) 668-3149
  
mailto:sandyfl@ix.netcom.com
mailto:sperle@icnpharm.com

Personal Homepage:
http://www.netcom.com/~sandyfl/home.html

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