Re: Food Irradiation - Consumer Reports

[Ruth Weiner <rfweine@sandia.gov>]

I have not yet read that Consumer Reports article, but I will write and I 
encourage everyone who can to do so.  Consumer Reports had a recent article on 
air pollution (in which I have some expertise) that was way off the mark.  I 
wrote with some corrections and got a snotty response from someone who clearly 
had no idea what she was talking about.  I also remember the CR reports on ALAR.
 I am concerned that Consumers Union, that I have long respected and belonged 
to, is caving in to enviroadn anti-nuke hysteria hype.  What can be done?  
Perhaps we should write a single letter and affix xignatures to it.

Clearly my own opinion and no one else's.

Ruth F. Weiner, Ph. D.
Transportation Systems Department
Sandia National Laboratories
Mail Stop 0718
P. O. Box 5800
Albuquerque, NM 87185-0718
505-844-4791
505-844-0244 (fax)
rfweine@sandia.gov

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Food Irradiation - Consumer Reports
Author:  JOYCED@DNFSB.GOV at hubsmtp
Date:    2/18/98 8:26 AM


The March 1998 issue of Consumer Reports has an
interesting article on Chicken:  How Safe?  How Tasty?,  that 
mainly addresses the issue of bacteria in chicken meat. 
Marring what seems to be an unbiased article is a reference 
to irradiation that I quote:
" While it may be useful, irradiation isn't a panacea.  It could 
lead to unwanted public-health and environmental side
effects, and it's not clear that it's economically competitive 
with other alternatives. As former USDA official Carol Tucker 
Foreman puts it, irradiation is not ' a substitute for taking 
propoer sanitation measures in processing plants.  After all, 
sterilized poop is still poop'".
Given the high status of Consumer Reports with many US 
consumers, this lightly tossed off comment about unwanted 
health effects may carry a lot of weight.
I haven't checked it but the CU website is listed as 
www.ConsumerReports.org.   Their data are available there 
for a price.
 HPs may want to set CU straight.
     
Only the opinion of
J. P. Davis
joyced@dnfsb.gov