Quotable Quotes:

"Whether or not Indian mango imports succeed commercially, it seems likely that irradiation will soon become a common treatment for many tropical fruits."

"More irradiated products from abroad will become available to US processors following the arrival of the first shipment of mangoes treated in India. The mango imports represent a wider range of products that can now be imported since approval for irradiated fruit and vegetables imports was granted in 2002."

George Reynolds. FoodUSA

Food irradiation has been identified as an alternative method to preserve food and agricultural products which could address the growing demand of food supply and mitigate hunger incidence in the country.  Food preservation is necessary as availability of food supply is insufficient with post harvest losses alone accounting for 30 to 50 percent in our agricultural supply.

Philippines Department of Agriculture.

In This Update:

Finally, Our Chance to Savor India's Favored Fruit

A Luscious Taste and Aroma From India Arrives at Last

Imports of irradiated goods set to increase

More on the FDA  Proposed Rules for Irradiation Terminology

Food Safety Concerns On The Rise

Once-banned mangoes now here

Long-lost mangoes bring a taste of home for Chicago's Indian community

Food irradiation to mitigate Philippine hunger incidence

Indian mangoes make debut, thanks to irradiation

Time to Pasteurize Food by Irradiation

Quarantine Requirements for India Mango Exports to US in Place

Indian Fruit Export Arrives in the US

Finally, Indian mangoes reach South Asians in Chicago

Texas A & M Teaching Module: Improving Safety of Complex Food Items using Electron Beam Technology

Food Irradiation Research and Technology text book now available from IFT & Blackwell Publishing

This is mango's moment. For the first time, India, the world's largest producer of the world's favorite fruit, has been granted access to the U.S. market. Best of all, it's the particularly coveted Alphonso variety that is on its way to grocers. And the Washington area's native Indian population can't wait!

This is mango's moment. For the first time, India, the world's largest producer of the world's favorite fruit, has been granted access to the U.S. market. Best of all, it's the particularly coveted Alphonso variety that is on its way to grocers. And the Washington area's native Indian population can't wait.

"People are phoning all day long, asking when we will have them," says Pankaj Sheth, owner of Patel Brothers, an Indian market in Langley Park. "At home we always eat them. They are the top of the line." Sheth is trying to get Alphonsos in stock but isn't sure when they'll arrive.

The vast majority of mangoes sold in this country are imported from Central and South America. Nearly two decades ago, the Department of Agriculture denied India's initial request to ship mangoes to the United States because of concerns about pests, including weevils. Last week at a "Mango Celebration" hosted by the Washington-based U.S.-India Business Council and attended by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, the Indian mangoes served were the first fruits to be irradiated overseas and approved for importation here.jim.brennan@atpconsultants.com

"This is a significant milestone that paves the way for the future use of irradiation technology to protect against the introduction of plant pests," Johanns said. "India and the United States began talking about shipping mangoes 17 years ago. Irradiating Indian mangoes safeguards American agriculture while providing additional choices for U.S. consumers in today's global marketplace."

Some special-interest groups oppose food irradiation and other uses of nuclear energy. But many experts say it is safe.

"This is positive and beneficial policy that helps the country we're trading with and helps protect U.S. agriculture from pests that hitchhike in," said Christine Bruhn, director of the Center for Consumer Research at the University of California at Davis. "The scientific and health committees have endorsed irradiation."

Importer and distributor Savani Farms of Chalfont, Pa., is talking to Costco, Giant Food and Super Fresh about carrying the mango. "But this is all in an experimental phase and very new to us," company co-owner Niranjan Savani said last Wednesday. "We expect a shipment within 10 days but can't say yet where they will go or how much they will cost."

The relatively small, tennis ball-size Alphonsos that Savani sent to the Food section as samples last week had thick yellow skins that peeled back easily to reveal saffron-colored flesh. They tasted sweeter than the common Tommy Atkins variety and were less fibrous. The floral fragrance was pronounced, the texture smooth. The luscious flavor was deep and heady. These were mangoes worth waiting for.

The first legal shipment of Indian mangoes to the United States in decades landed at Kennedy Airport last Friday, probably the most eagerly anticipated fruit delivery ever.

ìIf we can get them at good ripeness,î said Suvir Saran, executive chef of the Indian restaurant DÈvi in Manhattan, ìpeople will go mad for the beautiful, supple flesh and intense flavor.î

Some Indian-Americans have spent hundreds of dollars at an auction in Miami for rare Florida-grown Indian mango varieties; flown home specially for the season; or tried to smuggle illicit fruit past airport inspectors, striving to recapture rapturous memories of their homelandís luscious, incomparable mangoes. Until now, though, most could only crave and dream.

Since India first applied to ship mangoes to the United States in 1989, the fruit has been barred because it can harbor the mango seed weevil, a pest absent from North America. A solution emerged in January 2006, when the Agriculture Department allowed the importation of produce treated with low doses of irradiation to kill or sterilize insects ó a somewhat controversial issue.

On a visit to India five weeks later, President George W. Bush cheered the news as he announced a pact on nuclear energy and trade. ìThe United States is looking forward to eating Indian mangoes,î he said.

Indian newspapers covered each step of the process that followed as if it were the World Cup. A sequence of agreements, rulemaking and inspections led to the Agriculture Departmentís certification of an irradiation facility last Thursday, the final approval needed for shipments to begin.

This facility, which has been used to keep onions from sprouting, is located 125 miles northeast of Mumbai (formerly Bombay), close to the prime coastal orchards growing Alphonsos, Indiaís most celebrated mango variety. Harvested in April and May, this ìking of mangoesî has orange-yellow skin, smooth, fiberless flesh, and a distinctive, powerful aroma and flavor, with notes of almond, coconut, vanilla and citrus.

Bhaskar Savani, whose family grows mangoes in Gujarat, and who owns a chain of dental clinics near Philadelphia, met with Indian and American authorities to speed the mango imports and brought in the first load. He provided most of this trial batch ó 150 boxes of Alphonsos and a saffron-skinned variety, Kesar, grown by his family ó to the United States-India Business Council, a trade group, for its celebration yesterday afternoon in Washington. Commercial shipments will follow.

India has grown mangoes for thousands of years, and produces half of the worldís crop, but inadequate infrastructure and pest quarantines have limited its exports to less than 1 percent of the global mango trade.

Besides hoping for lucrative sales to affluent expatriates, Indian mango growers are eager to export to the United States because they are proud of their countryís signature fruit. The average farm is small, and most owners have not benefited from the boom in Indiaís service sector. A United States Agency for International Development program is helping growers to improve agricultural and marketing practices.

The Indian exportersí optimism may be foiled by the brutal cost of flying mangoes halfway around the world. None of the major United States mango importers, who have close ties with their Latin American suppliers, seem interested in Indian sources. Now is peak season for Mexican mangoes, which provide 60 percent of the United States supply, and typically are inexpensive, 50 cents a pound wholesale ó about a tenth what the Indian fruit might cost.

ìI think the price is going to be an issue,î said Erwan Landivinec of Baldor, a distributor to high-end markets in New York. Shipments could be less expensive by sea, but the fruit might not survive the 18-day journey.

Florida mango growers long ago imported trees or seeds of the best Indian varieties, including Alphonso, but these varieties donít grow well in the stateís humid climate. The main Florida varieties originated from Indian stock, however, and imports of these fruits, which are now grown in Latin America, dominate the United States market. About five years ago Citrofrut, a large Mexican juice processor, planted Alphonsos to add color and flavor to its mango purÈe. This experiment raises the possibility that moderately priced, unirradiated fresh Alphonsos eventually might be available from Mexico. ìWeíd grab that in a second,î said Bill Gerlach of Melissaís World Variety Produce, a national specialty wholesaler.

Some public health advocates oppose irradiation of produce, claiming that it causes harmful chemicals, but this use has not yet become as contentious as irradiation of meat, which applies a higher dose and serves a different purpose, to sterilize bacteria. The Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization endorse food irradiation as safe.

Dozens of studies have found that the effects of irradiation on mango quality vary markedly by dose, variety and ripeness at treatment. Overall, the process delays ripening, extends shelf life, and is gentler than the hot water dip used on most imported mangoes to kill pests.

Whether or not Indian mango imports succeed commercially, it seems likely that irradiation will soon become a common treatment for many tropical fruits.

Facilities in Hawaii and Florida that treat modest quantities of produce have been the primary irradiated sources for the United States so far, but a huge Mexican irradiation facility is expected to start operation in a year. Arved Deecke, general manager of Phytosan, the company building the plant, said irradiation will be cheaper than the hot water dip, and that he plans to treat a quarter of Mexican mango exports by 2012. Thailand likely will be sending irradiated fruit to the United States within a year, and several other countries have applied to do it or have inquired about it.

Moreover, the Food and Drug Administration is proposing new rules that would no longer require irradiated foods to bear the international radura symbol, if they are not ìmaterially changedî by irradiation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/02/dining/02mang.html?ref=dining

More irradiated products from abroad will become available to US processors following the arrival of the first shipment of mangoes treated in India. The mango imports represent a wider range of products that can now be imported since approval for irradiated fruit and vegetables imports was granted in 2002.

The process exposes foods to ionizing radiation that kills insects, moulds and bacterium. The technology, which can kill up to 99 per cent of pathogens, is seen by the industry as a means of ensuring food safety.

Last year, a generic dose of irradiation was recognized as an approved treatment for a wider range of produce, including Indian mangoes. Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) approves the importation of pre-cleared, commercial shipments, providing certain conditions are met, including dosage.

Mike Johanns, US Secretary of Agriculture said shipment is a significant milestone that paves the way for the future use of irradiation technology to protect against the introduction of plant pests. "India and the United States began talking about shipping mangoes 17 years ago," he said. "Irradiating Indian mangoes safeguards American agriculture while providing additional choices for US consumers in today's global marketplace."

While the range of irradiated produce is expanding, US official safeguards in place ensure regulations are complied with.

Shipments must be accompanied by a certificate issued by the national plant protection organization of India with additional declarations certifying that the treatment and inspection of the mangoes was made in accordance with APHIS regulations.  In addition, inspectors with the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection may further inspect pre-cleared shipments on first arrival into a US port.

Irradiation has been been endorsed as safe for foods and health by the World Health Organization, the Food and Agricultural Organization and the Codex Alimentarius, an international standards-setting body.

A World Health Organization scientific report in 1992 found that irradiation posed no risk to human health. However, due to consumer concerns many countries require irradiated products to be labeled so that consumers have the choice to purchase or not.

To date, about 50 countries have approved about 60 products to be irradiated. The US, South Africa, the Netherlands, Thailand and France are among the leaders in adopting the technology

CHICAGO: Food safety concerns are strong enough that consumers might be losing faith in retailers ability to sell a safe food supply, a recent Food Marketing Institute survey revealed.

The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2007 session May 7, conducted by Michael Sansolo, senior vice president of Arlington, Va.-based FMI, revealed answers and trends garnered from FMIs 59th annual retail industry survey in which 92 retailers responded, representing 14,769 stores. Food safety, health care and energy costs, and store staffing and retention were the three main topics covered during the session.

Tim Hammonds, FMI president, challenged attendees to consider changes in their own organizations to head off food safety problems. He said opinions uncovered by the survey were dramatic enough to raise concerns that consumer confidence in the safety of the food supply may be dwindling.

FMI's U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2007 survey, which also was released at the convention, found that 66% of shoppers are confident that the food they buy at the grocery store is safe ã a drop from last years 82%.

The survey also found that 38% of respondents made changes in the foods they buy because of those concerns. Items most often mentioned were spinach, lettuce, bagged salad and beef.

Hammonds said the association is introducing a new set of standards for leafy greens in May, and he asked retailers to reach a consensus on a product recall process so they could be more responsive during a crisis.

Long-lost mangoes: Taste of home for Chicago's Indian community; India News; Kumar Patel (May 10, 2007)

Small things can have major impact on us, all the more so if we're far from home. Take for example the Indian mango.

It has been unavailable in the U.S. for nearly two decades because of a trade ban, so Indian immigrants have made do with Mexican mangoes. Until Thursday.

In addition to the electronics with exotic plugs, saris and cornucopia of imported foods already available on Devon Avenue, the famed fruit is now available in Chicagoís Indian and Pakistani neighborhoodóif they arenít already sold out.

Patel Brothers, an importer with a store at 2610 W. Devon Ave., was picking up its first post-ban shipment Thursday morning. An employee said he wouldnít be surprised if the shipment sells out by afternoon. ìIndian mangoes fill the whole room with an aroma you canít find anywhere else,î said Tulsi Patel, 36, a first-generation Indian-American. ìA bite of an Indian mango takes you back where you were 10,000 miles away.î

ìItís the things we donít think about like taste and smells that form the strongest memories,î said Dina Birman, assistant professor of psychology at University of Illinois at Chicago, who specializes in refugee and immigrant adaptation. ìFood is huge in immigrant communities. The first things communities establish are restaurants and ethnic markets.î

ìI especially remember the sweetness from my childhood,î said Ali Yusef, 65, a naturalized citizen who moved to the U.S. 21 years ago from a southeast city in India. ìIn Hyderabad, mango trees surrounded the street where my house was. People would even grow mango trees in their homes. We did,î he said. Yusef lauded the many varieties of Indian mangoes; some so small you could pop a whole one in your mouth.

On Devon Avenue, east and west of Western Avenue, customers have been clamoring. A grocery clerk at Par Birdie said patrons have been asking about the Indian mangoes for weeks. Right now, the majority of grocers on Devon carry Mexican mangoes.

ìIndian mangoes are just more tasty,î said Ali Khan, from behind the cash register at Par Birdie. Khan also reported customers asking for Indian mangoes. For Indian Chicagoans, a taste of home comes with a hefty price tag. The Indian variety will run $30-35 per dozen versus the $6-12 price tag for Mexican mangoes.

Patel Brothers will distribute their shipment around the many grocers on the Devon strip.

Food irradiation to mitigate hunger incidence; Cebu, Philippines (May 3, 2007)

Cebu City, Philippines (3 May) -- Food irradiation has been identified as an alternative method to preserve food and agricultural products which could address the growing demand of food supply and mitigate hunger incidence in the country.

Food preservation is necessary as availability of food supply is insufficient with post harvest losses alone accounting for 30 to 50 percent in our agricultural supply, according to the Department of Agriculture.

Over 3.4M households in the country or a record high of 19 percent are said to have experienced voluntary hunger at least once over the past three months based on the results of the Social Weather Station 1st quarter survey.

Irradiation is the treatment of food with enormous doses of ionizing radiation in the form of gamma rays. The process destroys and eliminates spoilage-causing bacteria or microorganisms, reduces post-harvest losses and extends shelf-life of food and agricultural commodities.

Irradiation delays ripening of fruits and inhibits the sprouting of vegetables as well as allows food to withstand long distance shipments without spoilage.

Among the commodities that can be treated with radiation include fish (smoked, dried or fresh), frozen shrimp, fresh fruits, rice and corn, meat and meat products and poultry.

The Visayas Chamber of Mango Industry Multi-Purpose Cooperative on the other hand, is lobbying the government for a feasibility study on the installation of an irradiation facility in Cebu. The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) is supporting the construction of these facilities to irradiate mangoes, papayas, bananas and pineapple; this is contained in a fact sheet on food irradiation by a group called Public Citizen.

Food irradiation has gained worldwide recognition and about 50 countries have approved for irradiated food products.

The DA-7 in cooperation with the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute and the BPI are undertaking an advocacy program on food irradiation that includes letting the public understand on the fundamentals of food irradiation and its application as well as its current status. (PIA-Cebu/FCR).

White House Press Briefing, May 2, 2007; White House, Washington, DC

Question: When President Bush made an announcement on mangoes from India, I was with him in India in Hyderabad. And yesterday his dream came true. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and Susan Schwab, the U.S. Rep, and also Ambassador Ronen Sen, they had a celebration yesterday at the Commerce Department by the U.S.-India Business Council. Mangoes from India arrived, and here is a basket for President Bush, and also for the First Lady mangoes from India. My question is that, what message does mangoes bring, as far as India-U.S. relations are concerned -- trade and other issues?

Answer: MR. SNOW: I don't know, it is my first mango-related inquiry. (Laughter.) Goyal, I think what you do see is constantly -- India is a very important partner for the United States. You saw the civil nuclear agreement, also agricultural cooperation. India is going to be vital part also in pursuing the Doha Round. So I think it, once again, reflects what we see, which is not only increasing closeness between the two governments, but also increasing interdependency.

Indian mangoes could be the next big step in taking irradiated produce mainstream by giving U.S. consumers new and flavorful mango varieties. On the other hand, challenging logistics, high expected prices and uncertainty about consumer acceptance of irradiation cloud the deal.

Making history for imports of irradiated fruit, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns welcomed the first shipments of irradiated king alphonso Indian mangoes in the U.S. on May 1 in Washington, D.C. Some believe the fruit could find a receptive market among wealthy Indian Americans.

ìThis is a significant milestone that paves the way for the future use of irradiation technology to protect against the introduction of plant pests,î Johanns said at the press event.

It would be easy to make the argument that Indian mangoes face an uphill struggle, said William Watson, director for the National Mango Board, Orlando, Fla., said.  ìRight now it looks like a niche, gift fruit kind of deal, but that is not to say it wonít grow into something bigger,î he said.

John-Campbell Barmmer, director of marketing for Bounty Fresh LLC, Miami, Fla., said no U.S. mango importer he knows about is part of the deal so far.

The higher cost of the fruit ó particularly if it is air-freighted from India ó may be too much for the U.S. market to bear. A May 2 article in the New York Times indicated retail prices for Indian mangoes could be as much as 10 times more than the 50 cents per pound wholesale price Mexican mangoes receive in their peak availability.

Meanwhile, Barmmer said the long transit time by sea ó 18 days or more ó could stress the condition of the mangoes. Consumer acceptance of irradiation is also a question mark, Barmmer said. However, he noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has recently proposed removing the requirement of featuring a radura symbol on irradiated produce.

Watson speculated that irradiation may be less of a red flag issue now than 15 years ago. An upside of Indian mango imports is the new varieties that will be offered to U.S. consumers.

Indiaís harvest season is limited, and runs from March through July. The USDA said Indian exporters said they may move about 100 sea containers a year to the U.S. That is equal to 4.6 million pounds, 2,000 metric tons and 460,000 10-pound packages.

It is unclear if volume will approach that level this year. The first shipment to the U.S. was arranged by a Philadelphia dentist and Indian-American Bhaskar Savini. Brother Nin Savini, partner with importing Savini Farms, Philadelphia, said his father has a mango farm in India, and that is the connection for the new company.

The U.S. India Business Council in Washington, D.C. played host to the first-ever 'Mango Day' celebrations on the arrival of Indian mangoes to the U.S., after a gap of 18 years. The first mangoes arrived at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. But the big welcome party occurred in the nation's capital. For Hindi TV's Rohit Kulkarni, VOA's Suzanne Presto narrates.

It appeared that no one turned down an invitation to sample premium varieties of what Indians call the "King of Fruits", the mango. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. was packed with people waiting to taste Indian mangoes in the United States for the first time in nearly two decades.

India is the world's largest producer of mangoes but had been shut out of the U.S. market because of concerns over mangoes introducing new a pest, the mango seed weevil, into North America.  But U.S. Department of Agriculture officials were able to work out an agreement that allows the import of Indian mangoes that have been irradiated.

Mike Johanns is the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. "It just took a while to get this worked out. So I am glad it is done and I am glad the mangoes are here."

Dr. Bhaskar Savani took charge of the first shipment in New York. He has spent the past three years lobbying U.S. officials to allow Indian mangoes into the country. Dr. Savani expects Indian mangoes will be available in U.S. grocery stores by the end of May.

"We are having a number of meetings with the interested grocery shop owners. We will facilitate the distribution process. I hope to make them available for consumers in the next two or three weeks," said Savani.

The arrival of the mangoes may open the door for other Indian fruits to enter the American market.

Susan Schwab is the U.S. Trade Representative. "The benefit for consumers in both countries and farmers in both countries,î she said, ìis to eliminate as many trade barriers on both sides as we can and what we have been able to do with mangoes is a great example of that."

President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed a historic nuclear energy treaty in 2006.  A side note to that agreement allowed the renewed export of Indian mangoes into the United States.

Finally, Indian mangoes reach South Asians in Chicago; From correspondents in Illinois, United States, (11 May 2007)

The first shipment of the famed Indian mangoes - banned by the US for 18 years - has landed in Indian and Pakistani grocery stores across Chicago.

The first shipment of the famed Indian mangoes - banned by the US for 18 years - has landed in Indian and Pakistani grocery stores across Chicago. Patel Brothers, an importer of South Asian products, picked up its first shipment Thursday.

Till last month, the South Asian community in the US had to satisfy themselves with a Mexican variety of mangoes due to a trade ban imposed on Indian mangoes by the US government for close to two decades. The ban was lifted in April this year.

'Indian mangoes fill the whole room with an aroma you can't find anywhere else,' said Tulsi Patel, 36, a first-generation Indian American. 'A bite of an Indian mango takes you back where you were 10,000 miles away.'

For the South Asian community, a taste of these mangoes comes with a hefty price tag. The Indian variety will cost $30-35 per dozen, versus the $6-12 price tag for Mexican mangoes, Medill Northwestern said.

A grocery clerk at Par Birdie in Devon Avenue, a South Asian neighbourhood, said customers have been asking about Indian mangoes for weeks. 'Indian mangoes are just more tasty,' said Ali Khan, from behind the cash register at Par Birdie. 'I especially remember the sweetness from my childhood,' said Ali Yusef, 65, an Indian American who moved to the US from the Indian city of Hyderabad.

'In Hyderabad, mango trees surrounded the street where my house was. People would even grow mango trees in their homes. We did,' he said.

India is the world's largest producer of mangoes - 12 million tonnes harvested each year - but accounts for less than one percent of the global mango trade. (www.indiaenews.com)

Texas A & M University has recently completed a USDA sponsored project was called "Improving Safety of Complex Food Items using Electron Beam Technology." The titles of the four teaching modules are:

Lesson 1 : Microbiological Safety of Fresh Fruits & Vegetables

Lesson 2 : Control of Microbial Growth & Foodborne Disease Pathogens in Fresh Fruits & Vegetables

Lesson 3 : Current Strategies used to Eliminate or Reduce Pathogenic Microorganisms from Fruits and Vegetables

Lesson 4: Science and Applications of Electron Beam Irradiation Technology

The lessons may be accessed by all at http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/foodsafety/foodsafetyissues.html

For more information contact:

Tom A. "Andy" Vestal, Ph.D.

Professor and Extension Specialist

AgNR Emergency Management

Texas Cooperative Extension

Dept of Agric Leadership, Education & Communications

Mail Stop 2116

Texas A&M University

College Station, TX 77843-2116

979.862.3013 http://www.aged.tamu.edu/people/faculty/vestal-a.asp