In the northeastern United States in October, more than 27 million pounds of cooked deli products were recalled amid concerns it could be tainted by listeria. The contamination is blamed for 23 deaths and 120 illnesses. Many of those casualties could have been avoided by irradiation, a safe, effective way to reduce food-borne illnesses, according to UC Davis food specialist and director of the UC Center for Consumer Research Christine Bruhn. The irradiation process involves exposing food to an energy field generated by electricity or gamma rays. It doesn't make food radioactive. Many common items such as cotton balls, adhesive bandages and baby bottles are irradiated to kill bacteria. None is made radioactive, just as airport security X-rays don't make luggage radioactive. Some consumers have expressed concern that irradiation destroys vitamins, however, Bruhn says nutritional changes caused by irradiation are comparable to cooking or freezing foods. Irradiation does kill 99.9% of harmful E. coli 0157:H7, salmonella, campylobacter, listeria and other bacteria. Currently, irradiation is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration only for fresh or frozen meat, poultry and some produce. It has not been approved for luncheon meats, oysters, shrimp, crab or other seafood. All irradiated food sold at supermarkets must be labeled. In restaurants, labeling is not mandatory. "I'm in favor of labeling," Bruhn said. "I pay extra to buy irradiated meats. I believe it is a value-added product." A primary advantage of irradiated food is the fact that pathogens are destroyed before they are brought into the kitchen, reducing the danger of uncooked meat juices contaminating fresh foods, counters, knives or cutting boards. Nevertheless, experts note that irradiated food must be refrigerated and properly cooked. Opportunities to buy this safety-enhanced food are increasing. In Minnesota, Dairy Queen began offering irradiated hamburgers at a two restaurants in February 2002. Consumers were either neutral or positive. After a few months, about a quarter of the Dairy Queen restaurants in the state were serving irradiated beef; and in June, all the Dairy Queens in Minnesota switched to the irradiated product. Increasingly, irradiated beef is being offered in other parts of the United States. More than 30 states produce frozen irradiated ground beef, which is available nationwide through mail order. In Illinois and New York, supermarkets have begun offering fresh irradiated ground beef. In California, a meat company opened an irradiation facility in Vernon, a Los Angeles suburb, in August. Bruhn encourages consumers to ask grocery managers to stock irradiated products. "Consumers should have the choice," she said. More information about irradiation is available in a free downloadable publication on the UC ANR Communication Services online catalog (search for "irradiation"), or from the UC Center for Consumer Research Web site. (November 2002) |
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Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California. All contents November 07, 2009 Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. |
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