http://www.care2.com/greenliving/zap-fda-allows-more-irradiated-food.html
Zap! FDA Allows More Irradiated Food
By Melissa Breyer, Senior Editor, Care2 Healthy and Green Living
Well they did it, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has decided to allow food producers to irradiate fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce, effective immediately.
Food irradiation is a processing technique that exposes food to electron beams, X-rays, or gamma rays. It is used to kill bacteria that cause food poisoning, such as salmonella, campylobacter and E. coli. According to Dr. Urvashi Rangan, an environmental health scientist and policy analyst at Consumers Union, irradiating food “does not make it radioactive. But understand that, for example, the maximum dose of irradiation on meat is about 4.5 kiloGrays, which is equivalent to about 7 million chest X-rays.” Cough.
Although American food processors have been allowed to irradiate beef, eggs, poultry, oysters and spices, the market for irradiated foods is small because the government also requires that these foods be labeled as irradiated, making them a hard sell. But go figure, the FDA is also considering a proposal to weaken the labeling requirement. As is, irradiated produce will be labeled “treated with radiation,” however, irradiated greens served in restaurants, schools, hospitals, and nursing homes will not require labeling.
So the idea is that irradiation will cut down on food-borne illness, an especially hot button issue lately with the recent salmonella outbreak. Yet according to The New York Times, “critics say that not only does radiation make food less nutritious and potentially toxic but that the process also does not eliminate the risks of food-borne illnesses. An analysis by the Centers for Science in the Public Interest found that most outbreaks of illnesses associated with salad are caused by viruses, which are not affected by the doses of radiation approved by the FDA.”
The Organic Consumer’s Association naturally has quite a bit to say on the topic. Their research suggests that irradiation damages food by breaking up molecules and creating free radicals. The free radicals kill some bacteria, but they also bounce around in the food, damage vitamins and enzymes, and combine with existing chemicals (like pesticides) in the food to form new chemicals, called unique radiolytic products (URPs). Some of these URPs are known toxins (benzene, formaldehyde, lipid peroxides) and some are unique to irradiated foods. Scientists have not studied the long-term effect of these new chemicals in our diet. Therefore, we should not assume they are safe.
Irradiated foods lose up to 80 percent of their vitamins (A, C, E, K and B complex). The amount of loss depends on the dose of irradiation and the length of storage time. Although the FDA maintains that irradiation is safe, studies on animals fed irradiated foods have shown increased tumors, reproductive failures and kidney damage. Some possible causes are: irradiation-induced vitamin deficiencies, the inactivity of enzymes in the food, DNA damage, and toxic radiolytic products in the food.
So, it’s time to start double-checking the labels on your produce. And remember that the farmers growing produce for your greenmarket, co-op, or CSA probably don’t have a radiation lab near their hoophouse. Yet another great reason to support your local growers!
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add your comment »Oh .. my ... GOD ! Are you serious! What "genius" plan will they think of next!
It's so simple, the reason for the recent foodbourne illness problems is because YOUR OUTSOURCING OUR FOOD! The recent tomato & jalapeno epidemic ... came from farms in Mexico who's farms were treated with untreated manure. Stop outsourcing to countries who put crap in our veggies or have farms next to sewage. Not irradiate everything & hide the fact from us.
Alot of this countries problems wouldn't BE a problem if it weren't for mass outsourcing of almost everything we use & eat. The pet food epidemic ... poisoned wheat gluten that came from ... guess who?! China!
Whatever happened to us just needing to cook meats to ensure sanitization. We have to worry about veggies too now, senseless. I've never in my life until recently needed to cook veggies to sanitize them. It's a vegetable!
The FDA is NOT here to protect us, it's here solely to make a profit off of so many stupid people, regardless of the consequences to the citizens. The FDA like many other government agencies is nothing more than a business. Not a service. To feed people poison & then we're forced to poison ourselves further on drugs & bad treatment that people otherwise wouldn't have "needed". To sell us cheap crap from China & destroy the working force of the US. Brilliant guys. The only thing worse than this country's failed government is the stupid general public that allows
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We are already being prepared for it in the UK! Our goverments are proposing to get rid of 'Nannying Labels' ie not telling us whats in our food as its being too 'bossy' and liberating us to eat whatever rubbish they want to feed us.
Very worrying. When they (W.H.O) served bread made with irradiated wheat to starving indian children there were DNA changes within 6 months but they argued it was down to 'vitamin loss' and not getting dosed with radiation.
The public didnt want it in the 1980's and they still dont want it now!!
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So it is JUST spinich and iceburg? I guess I should be checking everything really! It makes me nervous of what I'll get when the farmers markets are done for the year. Can the organic seal still be used on irradiated food?
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Unbelievable! And yet, I shouldn't expect anything less from the FDA
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