Irradiation: why it won't make food safe, why it could make you sick

By Jonathan Evans Herbal Information Specialist /Business Representative for the Herbarium Special to PRIME In last month's column, I mentioned the FDA is taking public comment on plans to relax the labeling of foods that have been irradiated. Government officials said the proposed rule would require companies to label irradiated food when the treatment causes a material change to the taste, smell or shelf life of the food. Recent outbreaks of food borne illnesses have revived interest in food irradiation. Jonathan's take on food irradiation First of all, I am against food irradiation. My wife, Kathy, and I have been fighting food irradiation for more than a quarter century. This column is definitely not in favor of the plan. If you want to read the governments propaganda, go to the FDA website. My intention is to give you some information that you will not receive from industry and government sources. The core issue of irradiation is that it will change the product. Irradiation will change the texture of many foods, the smell and taste of most meat products and will definitely extend the shelf life, as stated previously. The label debate The FDA wants labels to inform you of those changes. So why are we even considering changing the labeling? It seems the Grocery Manufacturers Food Product Association feels the term irradiation has a negative impact on consumer attitudes and choices involving irradiated products. What a brilliant observation! They would rather the term" cold pasteurization " or something even more misleading to be substituted. Facts about irradiation Here, my friends, are just a few facts about irradiation: 1. Irradiation destroys vitamins such as A, B, B-12, C, E, and K and it creates new chemicals in meats called radiolytic products, some of which are known carcinogen. 2. Irradiation will not eliminate e- coli from the meat supply or fresh foods such as spinach and other vegetables because it is usually introduced further down the production chain. Furthermore, the bacteria that causes botulism is not killed by the levels of radiation used on the foods, but the bacteria that signals spoilage is destroyed. This means we would not have Natures regular signals such as smell or discoloration to warn us the food is bad, or contaminated. 3. The governments' own report states even with irradiation, the food will have to be refrigerated, even though there are products that can be out for months and years with no observable deterioration. 4. Proponents say there are no reported cases of harm to humans, but the FDA's rat studies show otherwise. India and irradiated grain Back in the 1970s, irradiated grain was sent to India to feed the starving children. It was thought the grain would last longer in the heat and humidity without spoiling. The children who ate the grain developed pre-leukemic cells. When the irradiated grain was removed from their diet, the children's blood work returned to normal. Proponents of irradiation say that the study is old and outdated. Well, the law of gravity is pretty old, but the results are still the same. Where's the benefits? So, here we have a process that is not needed, can do harm both in the consumption of the food, and at the processing plants, still needs back up procedures to protect the consumer from food borne illnesses, creates unique radiolytic products, which have never been studied, and can create known carcinogen, and we need this for what reason? The number of anti food irradiation websites is very long. My best suggestion is to do a simple search using "food irradiation, cold pasteurization " for your key words. Read about some of the information I left out of the story. What you can do to stop this Tell the FDA you want irradiated foods labeled the right way, not some smarmy advertising approach to make it more acceptable. Contact your congressperson and tell them you would like more disclosure pertaining to irradiate foods. Oh, and while you are at it, you can mention you would like more labeling on genetically modified food. There is a subject for another column, and how the FDA would rather tell you only what they feel you should know. Check out the government website and let your feelings be known. Also check out www.purefood.org/irrad/youwantcesium.cfm for lots more information. Irradiation is not needed and offers nothing in the way of benefit to consumers. Please send your questions on botanical remedies to Natures Rx : Jonathan Evans via e-mail at info@theherbarium.com., or by regular mail at The Herbarium, 264 Exchange Street, Chicopee, MA 01013.