food irradiation

["Paul Skierkowski" <pskierkowski@ou.edu>]

from today's ap wire


 Irradiation Pushed for Tainted Meat

 By CURT ANDERSON
 AP Farm Writer

 WASHINGTON (AP) -- As public concern about tainted meat grows, the
 industry is promoting bacteria-destroying irradiation as an alternative
 to the Clinton administration's proposal for mandatory recalls and
 tougher penalties.

 Granting greater authority to the agriculture secretary in contaminated
 meat cases is tantamount to ``making a single political appointee the
 police, the judge, jury and executioner,'' said Kelly Johnson, executive
 vice president of government affairs at the National Food Processors
 Association.

 Fearing the economic fallout of more highly publicized recalls, the meat
 industry is trying to persuade the Food and Drug Administration to
 approve irradiation for beef and is lobbying Congress to allow smaller,
 less ominous irradiation labels for all foods.

 Irradiation -- exposing food to low levels of radiation -- is already
 permitted for poultry, pork, fruits and vegetables, but is not in
 widespread use for several reasons: consumer wariness, expense and
 opposition by consumer groups that question its safety.

 The Senate Agriculture Committee planned a hearing today on the
 administration's mandatory recall bill and the potential of new
 technology such as irradiation.

 The recall of 25 million pounds of Hudson Foods Inc. ground beef this
 summer has focused new attention on meat safety. Tainted meat was in the
 news again last week with the recall of nearly 444,000 pounds of ground
 beef processed at a Nebraska plant and South Korea's detection of E. coli
 on beef supplied by another Nebraska meatpacker.

 Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman wants Congress to grant the
 Agriculture Department authority to issue mandatory recalls instead of
 using persuasion and public pressure for voluntary recalls. Glickman
 wants authority to seek civil penalties of up to $100,000 per violation
 per day and a requirement that anyone in the food supply chain must
 notify USDA of any evidence of contamination.

 In introducing the administration's bill Tuesday, Sen. Tom Harkin,
 D-Iowa, said the current system does not give people ``total assurance''
 the meat they eat is safe. ``These are vital tools the secretary just
 doesn't have today,'' Harkin said.

 Consumer advocates say mandatory recall and tougher penalties will give
 companies greater incentives to adhere to food safety rules and not cover
 up mistakes.

 The food processing industry, however, contends that USDA can already
 force companies to issue recalls by using public pressure and can close
 down plants by pulling its inspectors from production lines. Criminal
 charges can be brought and contaminated products can be seized.

 The industry has already cleared some congressional hurdles to using the
 irradiation process in beef production and possibly increasing its use in
 poultry, fruit and other products.

 The FDA overhaul passed by the House Tuesday and the Senate earlier would
 allow companies to use labels on irradiated products that are no larger
 than those used for ingredients. The House version would FDA action
 within 60 days on a petition that has been pending for three years that
 would allow irradiation for red meat.