Quotable Quotes:

"Does anyone at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ever watch the PBS program ìThe News Hour?î They certainly shouldóon February 8 the programís segment on food irradiation gave ample reason for the agency to approve irradiation of produce to kill illness-causing (pathogenic) bacteria."

American Council on Science & Health

"ACSH applauds PBS for presenting accurate information about the utility and safety of food irradiation. At a time when most public health experts are encouraging Americans to consume more plant-based foods, it is increasingly important to make sure that such food is as safe as possible. The ball is in the FDAís courtóirradiation to protect the safety of produce should be approved without further delay."

American Council on Science & Health

"Weird things are happening. As soon as we think we understand a bacteria, the bacteria changes."

Gary Acuff, head of Texas A&M University's Animal Science Department
 

"Last year was the worst in four years. And it wasn't just one or two of the packers that supply to us. It was several. That 0.17 isn't uniform across the industry," he said. "Some processors have greater problems with E. coli than others. So, don't take your eye off the ball. It's not licked yet."

Dane Bernard, vice president with West Conshohocken, Pa.-based Keystone Foods, a global supplier of patties to McDonald's Corp. and other foodservice operators.

In This Update:

FDA Must Move to Safeguard Food Supply: Approve Irradiation of Produce!

Don't Become Complacent about Pathogen Reductions, Processors Warned

USDA Agrees to Import Pakistani Mangoes

Electron-beam Irradiation Prevents Ground Beef Contamination

Dr. Henry DelincÈe speaks out regarding misrepresentation of research by David Henkin of Earth Justice in the Pa`ina Hawaii proceedings

Better Ways to Diagnose -- and Prevent -- Foodborne Illness

'20/20' segment to feature local E. coli tragedy

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

FDA Must Move to Safeguard Food Supply: Approve Irradiation of Produce!: American Council on Science & Health (February 12, 2007):

Does anyone at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ever watch the PBS program ìThe News Hour?î They certainly shouldóon February 8 the programís segment on food irradiation gave ample reason for the agency to approve irradiation of produce to kill illness-causing (pathogenic) bacteria.

A decade ago, the usual culprits for bacteria-related food-borne illness were foods such as meat and poultry. There were numerous outbreaks of illnessóand indeed some deathsófrom foods contaminated by E. coli, salmonella and campylobacter, to name just a few. Of late, however, we have seen E. coli contamination of plant-derived foods such as alfalfa sprouts, green onions, and most recently spinach and lettuce. Since these foods are consumed raw, there is no opportunity to kill bacteria with heat, and washing doesnít remove bacteria that the plants may have taken up from contaminated soils. But irradiation can kill such bacteriaówithout significantly altering the foods.

Anti-technology activists have fomented unwarranted fears about irradiation, ranging from concerns that the process will make foods radioactive (it doesnít) to charges that food producers will not keep their facilities clean if they know their foods will be irradiated for safety. This latter concern is really oldóit was a charge made against the introduction of heat pasteurization to kill bacteria in milk back in the 1920s. It wasnít true of dairies, and it wonít be true of other food producers either.

Irradiation technology has been used in the U.S. for decades to sterilize products ranging from baby bottle nipples to surgeonsí glovesóthe process is well understood and well-controlled. There is no danger to workers or to the community in which irradiators are located.

In order for produce purveyors to use irradiation to safeguard their products, a petition to allow such a use must be submitted to and approved by the FDA. Such a petition has been languishing at the FDA for six years, according to information presented in the PBS report.

ACSH applauds PBS for presenting accurate information about the utility and safety of food irradiation. At a time when most public health experts are encouraging Americans to consume more plant-based foods, it is increasingly important to make sure that such food is as safe as possible. The ball is in the FDAís courtóirradiation to protect the safety of produce should be approved without further delay.

However, other critics contend that the use of this technology will mask the underlying problems in food manufacturing, which produce bacteria in the first place. That is, if food is irradiated, food producers will not pay attention to maximizing food safety in the manufacturing process.

Don't become complacent about pathogen reductions, processors warned: (February 20, 2007): Meatingplace.com: By John Gregerson

LAS VEGAS óThe number 0.17 ó as in the percentage of beef samples testing positive for E. coli O157:H7 last year ó may sound like magic to meat industry members, but scientists gathered here at the National Meat Association's 61st Annual Conference and Exhibition warned fresh meat processors today that the science of pathogens is changing, and in ways even they don't fully understand.

"Weird things are happening," acknowledged Gary Acuff, head of Texas A&M University's Animal Science Department. "As soon as we think we understand a bacteria, the bacteria changes."

Acuff and his colleagues not only have their eyes on emerging strains of E. coli and clostridium, but ongoing difficulties with salmonella, which inexplicably spiked in test samples last year.

"Last year was the worst in four years," confirmed Dane Bernard, vice president with West Conshohocken, Pa.-based Keystone Foods, a global supplier of patties to McDonald's Corp. and other foodservice operators. "And it wasn't just one or two of the packers that supply to us. It was several."

"I can tell you, it's very frustrating to go into a plant and look at air flow, at places where employees enter and leave, and find nothing, only to see E. coli or salmonella later show up on product coming out of a grinder," said Jeff Savell, leader of the Meat Science Section of Texas A&M's Animal Science Department. "There are just things about salmonella we don't fully understand, as this week's peanut butter-borne outbreak demonstrates."

'Weird'

Acuff said he was less surprised by salmonella-tainted peanut butter than cases of botulism associated with the product. "It's weird," he said, "and I don't know if it's because our surveillance methods have changed, the pathogens have changed, the environment has changedÖthe point being we have to remain vigilant. For instance, we can no longer assume that pathogens like E. coli are only present on the surface of the carcass."

If the discussion sounded dour, it was, which is why Bernard warned processors against becoming complacent about promising numbers. "That 0.17 isn't uniform across the industry," he said. "Some processors have greater problems with E. coli than others. So, don't take your eye off the ball. It's not licked yet."

"Things can change," Acuff concurred, "and slap you around.î

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has agreed to allow import of mangoes from Pakistan after proper irradiation to eliminate quarantine pests, said chief operating officer, Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB), Muhammad Iqbal on Friday.

He said the board has devised a comprehensive plan to produce quality mango and citrus fruit to meet international standards. Mohammad Iqbal met members of the Multan Mango Growers Cooperative Society Limited (MMGCSL) to discuss issues pertaining to the functioning of the Cooperative Society and to formulate systematic modalities to develop mango industry in the country. Babar Bajwa, Manager Technical PHDEB, also accompanied him.

Talking to the members of the executive committee of MMGCSL the chief operating officer of the board said that PHDEB has underpinned the formation of a Cooperative Society both for mango in Multan and citrus in Sargodha. He said it would now promote Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) to enable growers to produce quality fruit in line with the global demands.

Muhammad Iqbal said that members of the Cooperative Society would be guided to refine their agricultural practices for attainment of EUROGAP and other certifications. He said the society would be encouraged to export their produce on self-help basis, adding that there has been a global practice to work collectively. He appreciated the Mango Growers Association Pakistan (MGAP) for highlighting the problems of the growers. Bajwa said that government of Pakistan has succeeded in convincing USA to allow export of Pakistani mango to USA.

He said PHDEB is establishing two irradiation plants in Lahore and Karachi and will arrange visit of the members of MMGCSL to see their functioning. He said that PHDEB would also arrange briefing for all mango growers by those who have visited Singapore and Australia on study tours to learn from their experience.

The meeting was attended by MGAP president Syed Zahid Hussain Gardezi, Khizer Abbas Bukhari, Muzaffar Hayat Khan Khakwani, Nasrullah Khan Tareen, Ghulam Fareed Khan, Saleem Khan Alizai, Maj (R) Tariq Khan, Ansar Jamal and Mehr Maqbool Jangla. Speaking on the occasion, Syed Zahid Hussain Gardezi, MGAP president, lauded the governmentís attention to the horticulture sector, especially mango production.

He said that global connoisseurs of fruits have acknowledged the superior aroma and taste of Pakistani mango and that itís appropriate time to equip mango growers with latest technology for mango harvesting, grading and packing.

Source: thenews.com.pk

Electron-beam irradiation holds promise as an alternative technology for preventing ground beef from becoming contaminated with pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli O157:H7.

Agricultural Research Service scientists based at the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Neb., and their industry colleagues collaborated in tests of e-beam irradiation of samples from the surface of beef carcassesóthe site where pathogens are most likely to lurk. Irradiation eliminated even extremely high levels of E. coli O157:H7, the tests showed.

Experiments with e-beam-irradiated ground beef and stir-fry beef indicated that the technique doesn't alter flavor or other eating qualities. The research was documented in a 2005 article in the Journal of Food Protection (volume 68, pages 666 to 672) and highlighted in a recent, food-safety-focused issue of Agricultural Research (ars.usda.gov/is/ar/archive/oct06/beef1006.htm).http://www.ift.org/news_bin/news/newsFrames.php

Subject: Misrepresentation of my research by David Henkin of Earth Justice in the Pa`ina Hawaii proceedings

I have recently been made aware of, that a private company seeks to build an irradiator near the Honolulu airport. The purpose of the irradiator is mainly to treat fruits to be exported to the US Mainland and to help prevent further infestation of alien species that will harm Hawaii's environment and further burden agriculture in the islands.

In October of 2005, David Henkin from Earth Justice filed a request for hearing with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in the licensing proceeding of Pa'ina Hawaii, the irradiation company. Numerous contentions were raised, among them the allegation that irradiated food is unsafe to eat. Mr. Henkin claims that ìspecial circumstancesî exists for the raising of a radiation facility which will treat food for human consumption and wants the NRC not to approve the application of Paíina Hawaii. He relies in his comments strongly on the arguments of Dr. Au, an environmental toxicologist from the University of Texas. Dr. Au focuses in his declaration of Sept., 29, 2005 strongly on the formation of a recently-discovered unique class of radiolytic products that are generated on irradiation of fat-containing foods, namely the 2-alkylcyclobutanones (2-ACBs) and claims these compounds to be genotoxic and mutagenic. As one of the researchers on the topic of toxicity of 2-ACBs in irradiated fat-containing food I want to make a few comments which will make clear that Dr. Au is grossly overestimating the risk of eating irradiated papayas.

First of all, I am wondering that David Henkin has chosen Dr. Au as his witness since it is well-known that Dr. Au is not reliable as an expert in food irradiation. Already 2003, I pointed out that Dr. Au is greatly exaggerating the potential risks of food irradiation and does not stick to the scientific facts (Opinion on the Expert Affidavit on Safety Issues of Irradiated Food for School Children sworn by Dr. William Au with date of Dec. 10, 2002. My opinion was expressed on April 02, 2003, available still today in the internet http://www.mnbeef.org/opinion_on_the_expert_affidavit_.htm). At that time I accused Dr. Au of committing perjury, since he claimed that 2-ACBs are mutagenic although his claims were not substantiated by the literature he cited, which was in fact our work. Obviously, in 2002 Dr Au was not telling the truth and his affidavit was of no value. Mr. Henkin could have easily searched the internet to find out about Dr. Au's past as an expert witness. Since my name is quoted in his allegations, the least Mr. Henkin could have done is contact me to verify Dr. Au's testimony. Hiring an expert that is not telling the truth and thereby committing perjury is not becoming.

Exactly, this is the situation with Mr. Henkins witness. Unfortunately, Dr Au has not learned anything in the mean-time, since he again in his present declaration of Sept. 29, 2005 testifies that 2-ACBs have been shown to be mutagenic (reference again to our work). He declares under penalty of perjury that he has read his own declaration and knows the contents thereof to be true of his own knowledge. In his declaration he mentions a recent article on health hazards from the consumption of irradiated food which he co-authored (Ashley et al., 2004). In this article it is correctly written, that our studies did not depict 2-dodecylcyclobutanone (2-DCB) as mutagenic. So Dr. Au is contradicting himself and his own knowledge. So again he is committing perjury.

Dr. Au also states in his declaration that he has reviewed relevant documents and studies. He ignores, however, several studies which have been published in the mean-time (2002-2005, the time between his affidavit of Dec. 10, 2002 and his recent declaration of Sept.29, 2005) which clearly show that 2-dodecylcyclobutanone is not mutagenic (Sommers 2003, Sommers and Schiestl 2004, Gadgil and Smith 2004). So this confirms my doubts that Dr. Au may be a respected environmental toxicologist, but that his knowledge of toxicology in the field of food irradiation is restricted. He simply ignores relevant papers about the mutagenicity of 2-ACBs, and he sticks to his old wrong opinion ñ even contradicted by himself in his peer-reviewed paper (Ashley et al., 2004) ñ that 2-ACBs are mutagenic.

Another case where Dr. Au shows his ignorance of the literature about food irradiation toxicology is in his above-mentioned paper Ashley et al., 2004. In this paper Dr. Au alleges the authors of the WHO Technical Report 890 (1999) ìHigh-Dose Irradiation: Wholesomeness of Foods Irradiated Above 10 kGyî that they have ignored 5 peer-reviewed publications of Vijayalaxmi and co-workers in their Table on ìIn vivo mammalian mutagenicity studiesî. However, Dr. Au has not recognized that this Technical Report ñ as its title clearly expresses ñ is dealing only with irradiation of foods above 10 kGy. Since the wheat experiments of Vijayalaxmi and co-workers were carried out with radiation doses below 10 kGy, these studies of course are not mentioned in the High-Dose Report. In a previous publication by the WHO ìSafety and nutritional adequacy of irradiated foodî (1994), the work of Vijayalaxmi is carefully reviewed and evaluated. So nothing remains of Dr. Auís allegation.

Dr. Au also refers to one of our papers in his declaration stating that laboratory rats were fed a very low concentration of 2-ACBs in drinking water (Horvatovich et al., 2002). The uptake of 2-ACBs by the rats corresponded to about 1 mg / day. The daily uptake of 1 mg 2-ACBs per rat corresponds roughly to a daily consumption of about four irradiated (3kGy) cooked chickens (~1000 g, 12.5% edible fat) ñ and that every day up to 6 months. Therefore, I would not call this a very low concentration, but instead a very high concentration. We have used this high concentration of 2-ACBs in order to observe a possible toxicological effect ñ a usual procedure in toxicological experiments. It would have been desirable to do this experiment with a range of concentrations, thereby also estimating the concentration of 2-ACBs which causes no adverse effects. However, lack of capacity did not enable such a large experiment, and therefore only one concentration was tested. The estimation of the no adverse effect level in these kinds of experiments remains to be tested.

Since the amount of 2-ACBs formed is dependent on the radiation dose and the fat content in the food, it would be interesting to look at papayas. Papayas for quarantine treatment to eliminate fruit flies would be irradiated with a dose of about 250 Gy, so a much smaller dose than that used for poultry or beef. The fat content of papayas is also smaller than that of chicken, around 6% for whole papayas. So the amounts of papaya that the rats need to consume to achieve an intake of about 1 mg/day would amount to about 90 kg per rat per day. But there is an additional practical point which Dr. Au has totally ignored.

The proof of the papaya is the eating ! This is a slightly changed wording that everybody knows. This is also valid for irradiated papayas. It is correct as Dr. Au mentions in his declaration that 2-ACBs have been found in papayas and mangoes. They are even used to detect whether these tropical fruits have been exposed to a radiation treatment. However, the analysts trying to detect the 2-ACBs in papayas and mangoes ñ Ndiaye et al. 1999 and Stewart et al. 2000 are cited by Dr Au - these analysts use the seeds from the papaya and the mango kernels to isolate the fat, because the overwhelming quantity of lipids in these fruits is found in the seeds and not in the fruit flesh. Thus the dominant part of 2-ACBs is found in the seeds and not in the edible part of the fruit. The amount of actually consumed 2-ACBs will be extremely small, since the fat concentration in the edible flesh is only about 0.1%.

Since feeding experiments with quite high amounts of 2-ACBs such as the Raltech study (Thayer et al. 1987) in which highly irradiated (~58 kGy) chicken meat was fed to mice and dogs for long-term consumption yielded no adverse effects which could be attributed to irradiation, the safety factor for low-dose irradiated foods such as papayas and mangoes must be high ñ particularly when only a very small part of the radiation-induced 2-ACBs in these fruits will be consumed.

Food irradiation is toxicologically perhaps the most thoroughly investigated food processing technology in the world. A long list of mayor institutions endorses the irradiation of foods as safe, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

In conclusion, I hope that the people of Hawaii can now better judge for themselves about irradiated foods and the controversy surrounding the proposed irradiator at Honolulu airport. On my next visit to the United States, I am looking forward to eat high-quality irradiated papayas and mangoes from Hawaii and I hope that many consumers will have the free choice also to do so.

Dr. Henry DelincÈe, Institute of Nutritional Physiology, Federal Research Centre of Nutrition and Food, Karlsruhe, Germany

Bibliography

Ashley BC, Birchfield PT, Chamberlain BV, Kotwal RS, McClellan SF, Moynihan S, Patni SB, Salmon SA, Au WW (2004) Health concerns regarding consumption of irradiated food. Int. J. Hyg. Environ. Health 207, 1-12.

Burnouf D, DelincÈe H, Hartwig A, Marchioni E, Miesch M, Raul F, Werner D (2002) Etude toxicologique transfrontaliËre destinÈe ¦ Èvaluer le risque encouru lors de la consommation díaliments gras ionisÈs. Toxikologische Untersuchung zur Risikobewertung beim Verzehr von bestrahlten fetthaltigen Lebensmitteln. Eine franzsisch-deutsche Studie im Grenzraum Oberrhein. Rapport final / Schlussbericht INTERREG II, Projet / Projekt No. 3.171 in: Marchioni E, DelincÈe H, eds. Berichte der Bundesforschungsanstalt f¸r Ernhrung, Karlsruhe, BFE-Ró02-02.

DelincÈe H (2003) Opinion on the Expert Affidavit on Safety Issues of Irradiated Food for School Children sworn by Dr. William Au, with date of Dec. 10, 2002. http://www.mnbeef.org/opinion_on_the_expert_affidavit_.htm).

DelincÈe H, Pool-Zobel BL (1998) Genotoxic properties of 2-dodecylcyclobutanone, a compound formed on irradiation of food containing fat. Radiat. Phys. Chem. 52, 39-42.

DelincÈe H, Pool-Zobel BL (1999) Genotoxizitt von 2-Dodecylcyclobutanon. In: Lebensmittelbestrahlung ñ 5. Deutsche Tagung, Karlsruhe, 11-12 Nov. 1998 (Knrr M, Ehlermann DAE, DelincÈe H, eds) Berichte der Bundesforschungsanstalt f¸r Ernhrung, Karlsruhe, BFE-Ró99-01, pp.262-269.

DelincÈe H, Soika C, Horvatovich P, Rechkemmer G, Marchioni E (2002) Genotoxicity of 2-alkylcyclobutanones, markers for an irradiation treatment in fat-containing food ñ Part I: Cyto- and genotoxic potential of 2-tetradecylcyclobutanone. Radiat. Phys. Chem. 63, 431-435.

Gadgil P, Smith JS (2004) Mutagenicity and acute toxicity evaluation of 2-dodecylcyclobutanone. J. Food Sci. 69, 713-716.

Horvatovich P, Raul F, Miesch M, Burnouf D, DelincÈe H, Hartwig A, Werner D, Marchioni E (2002) Detection of 2-alkylcyclobutanones, markers for irradiatedd foods, in adipose tissues of animals fed with these substances. J. Food Prot. 65, 1610-1613.

Ndiaye B, Jamet G, Miesch M, Hasselmann C, Marchioni E (1999) 2-Alkylcyclobutanones as markers for irradiated foodstuffs. II. The CEN (European Committee for Standardization) method: field of application and limit of utilization. Radiat. Phys. Chem. 55, 437-445.

Raul F, GossÈ F, DelincÈe H, Hartwig A, Marchioni E, Miesch M, Werner D, Burnouf D (2002) Food-borne radiolytic compounds promote experimental colon carcinogenesis. Nutrition and Cancer 44, 189-191.

Sommers CH (2003) 2-Dodecylcyclobutanone does not induce mutations in the Escherichia coli tryptophan reverse mutation assay. J. Agric. Food Chem. 51, 6367-6370.

Sommers CH, Schiestl RH (2004) 2-Dodecylcyclobutanone does not induce mutations in the Salmonella mutagenicity test or intrachromosomal recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J. Food Prot. 67, 1293-1298.

Stewart EM, Moore S, Graham WD, McRoberts WC, Hamilton JTG  (2000) 2-Alkyl-cyclobutanones as markers for detection of irradiated mango, papaya, Camembert cheese and salmon meat. J. Sci. Food Agric. 80, 121-130.

Thayer DW, Christopher JP, Campbell LA, Ronning DC, Thompson GM, Wierbicki E (1987) Toxicology studies of irradiation-sterilized chicken. J. Food Prot. 50, 278-288.

Vijayalaxmi (1975) Cytogenetic studies in rats fed irradiated wheat. Int. J. Radiat. Biol. 7, 283-285.

Vijayalaxmi (1976) Genetic effects of feeding irradiated wheat to mice. Can. J. Genet. Cytol. 18, 231-238.

Vijayalaxmi (1978) Cytogenetic studies in monkeys fed irradiated wheat. Toxicology 9, 181-184.

Vijayalaxmi, Sadasivan G (1975) Chromosomal aberrations in rats fed irradiated wheat. Int. J. Radiat. Biol. 27, 135-142.

Vijayalaxmi, Rao KV (1976) Dominant lethal mutations in rats fed on irradiated wheat. Int. J. Radiat. Biol. 29, 93-98.

WHO (1994) Safety and nutritional adequacy of irradiated food. WHO, Geneva.

WHO (1999) High-dose irradiation: wholesomeness of food irradiated with doses above 10 kGy. Report of a Joint FAO/IAEA/WHO Study Group, WHO, Geneva, Technical Report Series No. 890.

Better Ways to Diagnose -- and Prevent -- Foodborne Illness; American Council on Science & Health (February 23, 2007)

ENCINITAS ---- Rainer Mueller said he continues sharing the story of his son's death from E. coli poisoning in hopes that it may help others avoid the same tragedy that struck his family 13 years ago.

That desire was part of the reason Mueller agreed to be interviewed for a two-hour special on food safety, which airs at 9 tonight on ABC's "20/20." Mueller, a computer analyst for the city of Encinitas, said he also wanted to talk about food irradiation, a method of decontaminating food that he believes is the answer to food safety concerns.

"I tell my story and let people know what's happened. From that, people can make the correct decision," said Mueller, adding that "if enough people become outraged by what's happened, they can really effect a change."

When his son, Eric, was 13 years old, Mueller said he became violently sick with an illness that his doctors struggled to diagnose. Since E. coli wasn't well known in 1993, Mueller said he didn't understand what caused his son's death until afterward.

A few months later, he said he thought he found the answer by searching his son's symptoms on the internet. Everything he found pointed to E. coli, he said, and his suspicions were soon confirmed by a leading expert, he said.

That's when he got involved with the then-Leucadia-based Safe Tables Our Priority, or STOP, an organization that creates awareness of E. coli. In 1994, he joined the group's board of directors and was elected its president two years later.

With the organization, he helped organize a symposium in Washington, D.C., in 1995 to alert Congress to the fact that the food inspection laws then in place were written a century ago. The following year, he was asked to be part of the group that rewrote the regulations.

Mueller said his endeavors earned him an invitation to the White House to meet then-President Clinton, and a later invitation to watch as the president signed the new regulations into law. Although he had to decline the last invitation, he said he was amazed at how much one organization ---- Safe Tables ---- could accomplish.

"We pulled together and changed the meat inspection laws in this country against some of the largest lobbying groups," he said.

In 1998, Mueller established his own organization, Eric's ECHO, to assist and educate victims and families on E. coli poisoning. Since then, the organization has become "one of the pre-eminent Web sites for E. coli information around the world," he said.

While Mueller said he is pleased with some improvements in food safety since his son's death, he believes that the United States still has a long way to go before eradicating the problem. He said he has been working to promote irradiation, which can complement the most recognized step to safety ---- cleanliness.

He said the irradiation process uses electron beams, those used to broadcast images on a television, to eliminate "all living material in food."

He believes this method is important for meats and produce, because "you can scrub all you want on the outside of it, but it is showing up on the inside of the products." He said he believes information, which he provides through Eric's ECHO and mentions during the "20/20" interview, is the only way to alter public perception.

For more information on Eric's ECHO, go to www.ericsecho.org

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