Editorial on Food Irradiation

[Mike Grissom <mikeg@SLAC.Stanford.EDU>]

Radsafers,

Not an answer to Bruce's question regarding specific
States requirements, however this editorial in the
May 1, 1998 San Mateo County Times (SF Bay Area,
California, USA) may be of interest:

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           Another beef recall shows
need for irradiated food

The recall Wednesday of 280,000 pounds of beef from an
Illinois meat packing plant, after tests found samples
contaminated with E. coli bacteria, is something we can
expect to keep happening as long [as] we continue to shun
the use of irradiation for food safety.

Despite scientific evidence of the effectiveness of
irradiation in killing E. coli and salmonella, two bacteria
that are the leading cause[s] of food poisoning, irradiation
goes unused.

While organically grown and produced food has seen a surge
in popularity, irradiated food has not even shown up on
the consumer radar screen. There's the myth circulating that
there's some inherent risk with irradiated food, but that
simply is not true.

Irradiation is the process of using extremely low levels of
radiation to purify food. Other countries employ irradiation
to very good effect. There is a considerable body of
information to lead us to the conclusion that irradiation
is a godsend.

Even a modest, voluntary irradiation program would make
some sense. A retail food provider could offer food protected
by irradiation in one section of its produce and meat
departments, and then let the public decide.

Last year, we saw a record recall of 25 million pounds of
ground beef by Hudson Foods Co. Many people became ill from
the tainted meat.

Someday we can expect a meat packing company to begin
irradiating its meat, but that breakthrough will depend upon
the day that food distributors pull their heads out of the
sand and make the decision to use technology that can
eliminate bacteria that threatens our health and our lives.

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