Quotable Quotes:

 ìThe problem is that neither farmers nor the federal government are doing all they could to stop the deadly E. coli from poisoning customers. Irradiation could destroy 99.999 per cent of the dangerous bacteria, effectively eliminating the E. coli danger. Irradiation simultaneously kills the spoilage bacteria, keeping the produce fresher longer."

Dennis Avery, Hudson Institute

" But the Food and Drug Administration has been sitting on a petition to permit irradiation of leafy greens for eight years. Theyíre afraid if they give approval, the food-scare activists will howl. Never mind the kid who died and 100 people with kidney failure. We want our food to be politically correct even more than we want it safe."

Dennis Avery, Hudson Institute

In This Update:

Food Fear Rhetoric Harmful

Irradiation of Food Items May Become Mandatory in India

Irradiation Could Halt Food Contamination

Federal agency issues license for irradiator

USDA to give $5.5 million to study E. coli in produce

Marler Blog

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

Will Daniels oversees food safety at Earthbound Farm in Salinas, Calif. ó the company that last year grew and packaged the bagged spinach that killed three people, including a 2-year-old boy, due to contamination with E. coli 0157 bacteria.

The spinach also sickened at least 203 other people, many with serious kidney failure.

After the tragedy, Earthbound Farms hired a food safety microbiologist, who immediately told his new bosses that they were kidding themselves if they thought it wouldnít happen again.

Earthbound has nevertheless put in place the most aggressive testing and safety program in the industry. All its greens are now tested for pathogens twice ó on arrival from the field and again when the packaged products come off the processing lines. The testing has confirmed the fears: Some of the produce is still contaminated.

The problem is that neither farmers nor the federal government are doing all they could to stop the deadly E. coli from poisoning customers. Irradiation could destroy 99.999 per cent of the dangerous bacteria, effectively eliminating the E. coli danger. Irradiation simultaneously kills the spoilage bacteria, keeping the produce fresher longer.

Irradiation is now being used widely to protect hamburger from the E. coli dangers, with a major irradiation plant in Sioux City, Iowa. Irradiation is even more important for lettuce and spinach, because we most often eat them raw. But the Food and Drug Administration has been sitting on a petition to permit irradiation of leafy greens for eight years. Theyíre afraid if they give approval, the food-scare activists will howl. Never mind the kid who died and 100 people with kidney failure. We want our food to be politically correct even more than we want it safe.

The mega-bucks food scare industry, of course, is against irradiation. They demand ìmore naturalî food production and less processing. In other words, the food industry is being forced by food fear rhetoric to abandon technologies that benefit consumers.

Avery is a senior fellow for the Hudson Institute in Washington D.C.

New Delhi, India: For the first time in India, the Centre is going to introduce irradiation of fruits, vegetables, food grains, fish and seafood (fresh or frozen), and meat and meat products, including poultry and eggs. Retailers selling these food items shall have to prominently display or put on notice board near the container, box, bag etcetera of information of the consumers, a ìNotice to the effect that the food items have been irradiated and the logo irradiation shall be displayed on the premises for the information of the intending purchasers.

Amending the Prevent of Food Adulteration Rules, 1955, a draft notification (OSR 3b0 E) has been issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently that stated objections or suggestions regarding the issue may be submitted to the ministry before the expiry of a period at 60 days.

Welcoming the move, the retail industry sources told Food & Beverage News, ìIt is common practice worldwide to follow the prescribed dose of irradiation of fruits, vegetables and other food products to preserve them and extend the shelf life.  But In our country no such technology was introduced earlier. Itís good for the consumers as well as the sellers.î

According the notification, for disinfestations of insect from fresh fruits and vegetables the permitted dose of irradiation has been fixed at a minimum of 0.2 kilogray (a unit of measurement of irradiation tool) and maximum 1 kilogray and for shelf-life extension the permitted dose of irradiation would be a minimum 1 kilogray and maximum of 2 kilogray.

For elimination of pathogenic micro-organisms from fish and seafood and meat and meat products including poultry and eggs, the permitted dose of irradiation has been fixed as 1 kilogray (minimum) and 7 kilogray (maximum). Also, for shelf-life extension the permissible dose or irradiation would be 1 kilogray (minimum) and 3 kilogray (maximum).

For microbial decontamination of dry vegetables, spices, condiments, tea, coffee and coca, the permitted dose or irradiation has been fixed as 6 kilogray (minimum) and 14 kilogray (maximum)

For insect disinfestation from dried foods of animal origin and their products, the permitted dose of irradiation has been fixed as 0.3 kilo (minimum) and 1 kilogray (maximum).

Irradiation Could Halt Food Contamination: Press Release:

"It is important that consumers understand that food irradiation is a safe process" American Council on Science & Health.

New York, NY -- (July 9, 2007) Multiple recent cases of bacterial contamination of the food supply make it imperative that all effective means of sanitizing both animal and plant products be used, including the use of food irradiation. Physicians and scientists associated with the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) emphatically endorse the use of irradiation, to enhance safety and complement other food protection methods, in an updated booklet posted on the ACSH website.

The latest (sixth) edition of Irradiated Foods , updated by Paisan Loaharanu, M.S. (former Head of the Food and Environmental Protection Section of the Joint Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture of the FAO and IAEA) explains the process of food irradiation as well as its benefits. Not only does irradiation enhance food safety, it can also increase the availability of numerous foods rarely if ever before sold in the U.S. market."It is important that consumers understand that food irradiation is a safe process," states Dr. Ruth Kava, director of nutrition at ACSH. "Irradiation does not make food radioactive any more than a dental X-ray makes teeth radioactive." She adds, "Irradiation is meant to supplement -- not replace -- other methods of ensuring food safety. Thus, consumers must continue to handle and store foods properly."

Irradiation can be used on foods for a number of purposes. Typically, a low dose of radiation can be used to pasteurize foods such as meat, poultry, seafood, and spices in the same manner that heat is used to pasteurize milk, eliminating disease-causing organisms. Recent research has shown that leafy produce such as spinach and lettuce can also be sanitized by irradiation without impairing its quality.

To avoid importing destructive insect and other pests with foreign produce, the foods must be treated to kill or inactivate them. Standard processes include temperature treatments that may impair quality, or fumigation with toxic gases. But irradiation can avoid these techniques -- it can both halt the spread of pests and in some cases improve food quality without impairing safety. Thus, irradiation will allow Americans greater access to a variety of produce not currently available, and will also allow American producers to sell their products in countries with strict food quarantine laws.

The safety of food irradiation has been studied more extensively than that of any other food preservation process, including canning, freezing, dehydration, and the use of chemical additives. Just as processing foods by other means (such as broiling) can create minute amounts of new chemicals, so can irradiation -- but there is no evidence that trace amounts of these chemicals are hazardous for human consumption. Nor does irradiation of food pose a risk to workers in irradiation plants or to communities in which irradiation plants are located.

Over 50 countries have approved irradiation for various applications, as have The World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the American Medical Association, the American Dietetic Association, and the Institute of Food Technologists.

According to ACSH President Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, "Food irradiation is a most valuable addition to our arsenal in the war against food-borne illnesses. The American consumer has much to gain and nothing to lose from the wider application of food irradiation to our food supply." Consumers can learn more about irradiation in the latest edition of ACSH's Irradiated Foods .

For More Information Contact: Dr. Ruth Kava, ACSH Director of Nutrition: 212-362-7044 x234 (kava@acsh.org)

HONOLULU (AP) - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a license to a Hawaii company that plans to irradiate fresh fruit and vegetables to kill bacteria and to sterilize fruit flies or other pests before shipment to the mainland.

Pa'ina Hawaii LLC stated in its application that the commercial underwater pool-type irradiator will be set up adjacent to Honolulu International Airport. The facility will also be used to irradiate cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, and for research and development projects, the company said.

Materials to be irradiated will be loaded into a stainless steel chamber, then lowered into a water-filled pool where they would be exposed to radiation.

Following complaints from the group Concerned Citizens of Honolulu, the regulatory commission said it took the unusual step of having its staff prepare an environmental assessment.

It considered potential effects from transporting the radioactive material and concerns over socioeconomics, ecology, water quality and potential effects of aviation accidents from the airport and natural phenomena, the agency said.

The staff issued a final environmental assessment that included a finding of no significant impact, it said.

The commission said it will inspect key aspects of the construction of the facility to ensure compliance with the terms of the license before the irradiator begins operation.

Hawaii's only other irradiator has been in operation on the Big Island since 2000.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture will held support new research on keeping fresh produce safe from deadly bacteria, officials said on Tuesday.

The department will contribute $5.5 million for collaborative research in California into the origins of E. Coli 0157:H7, a bacterium that can cause diarrhea, kidney failure and even death, and to vulnerabilities in produce agriculture and the food supply chain.

Three people died and hundreds more were sickened in the past year in E. coli outbreaks related to bagged spinach. Outbreaks also struck patrons of Taco Bell and other restaurants.

"This research will help producers identify the sources of E. coli 0157:H7 and ways to avoid contamination," Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said in a statement.

The Centers for Disease Control identified 17,252 laboratory-confirmed cases of food poisoning in 2006 using a surveillance tool that studies 10 states, or about 15 percent of the U.S. population.