Food irradiation has been a hot topic since the early 1960s, particularly when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved, in 1997, the treatment of meat products with a measured dose of radiation, the process commonly called irradiation. After E. coli outbreaks over the years, beef was the first target of this new plan to improve the safety of the meat supply.
Scope
Common foods in your everyday diet, including beef, continue to be irradiated to eliminate bacterial organisms that have caused recalls and illness over the years. Since the mid-1960s, the FDA has allowed a number of foods to fall under this process, including poultry, fruits and vegetables. Seasonings and spices have also been irradiated, along with other foods. Opponents of this process continue to lobby for packaging statements -- requiring manufacturers to state on the package if the product has been irradiated.
Process
The process involves using a short burst of gamma rays from electron beams or X-rays. According to the FDA, the process is too weak to allow food to absorb radioactivity, yet it is strong enough to alter the DNA of these bacteria. The X-rays kill the bacteria, or at least stop them from reproducing. Irradiation also stops the natural ripening process in fruits and vegetables.
Organisms
Irradiation kills commonly found bacteria in meat and poultry, such as E. coli, salmonella and Campylobacter. This process can also eliminate toxoplasma bacteria and listeria. It can eliminate shigella and salmonella from fresh produce. Irradiation allows foods such as grains to be stored for long periods. The financial impact of food poisoning from these bacteria has been staggering over the years. All of these bacteria have a profound impact on the human digestive system, particularly in children and the elderly, causing severe diarrhea, and in some cases, death.
Foods Approved for Irradiation
According to the FDA, as of September 2008 the following foods are approved for irradiation under the FDA guidelines: fresh, nonheated processed pork, fresh foods as a growth and maturation inhibitor, all foods as an arthropod disinfection-pest control, dried or dehydrated spices and seasonings, dried or dehydrated enzyme preparations, fresh or frozen uncooked poultry, refrigerated and frozen uncooked packaged meats, fresh shell eggs, seeds for sprouting, shellfish, fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach.
References
- Organic Consumers Association: Frequently Asked Questions About Food Irradiation
- International Consultative Group on Food Irradiation: Facts About Food Irradiation
- U.S. General Accounting Office: Food Irradiation
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Foods Permitted to be Irradiated Under FDA Regulations
