Food Irradiation

Irradiation: Important Food Safety Tool

The Food and Drug Administration in1997 approved irradiation of red meat as an intervention strategy to reduce or eliminate harmful bacteria. This decision provided the meat industry with another tool to enhance product safety. Irradiation can eliminate harmful bacteria from our meat supply before it goes to the consumer.

Fifty  years of research has proven that irradiation is a safe and effective method of killing bacteria in food. Food irradiation has been approved in some 50 countries and, in the United States, has been used for a number of foods including pork, poultry, fruits and vegetables. The United Nations endorsed food irradiation in 1983. The World Health Organization gave its support ten years ago. The American Medical Association, the American Dietetic Association and the American Council on Science and Health have also given their blessings. Astronauts in space eat irradiated foods because they are pathogen-free. In addition to food, irradiation has long been used to sterilize such things as disposable medical devices, nipples for baby bottles, wine corks, cartons for milk and juice, contact lens solutions and cosmetics.

Consumers need to know that food irradiation is not a new process and that patent applications date back to the turn of this century. In the case of meat products, irradiation is nothing more than a form of cold pasteurization. It is just another method of food preservation like freezing, drying, canning, pickling, pasteurization or fermentation.

Consumer polls confirm that the majority of today's consumers will buy irradiated food products. Surveys show that support for irradiated products increases significantly when consumers understand the concept and know the benefits. In a collaborative project, Iowa State and Kansas State University scientists showed that some consumers were actually willing to pay more for irradiated chicken and that when prices were the same, irradiated and non-irradiated chicken breasts sold the same amount. Research at University of California-Davis, showed that 60-80% of consumers are willing to buy irradiated foods. It is estimated that irradiation will add 1/2 cent to a nickel to the cost of a pound of hamburger. That's a small price to pay for consumer confidence.

The process of irradiation involves exposing food, either packaged or in bulk, to one of three types of ionizing energy: gamma rays, machine-generated electrons or x-rays. This is done in a special chamber for a few seconds. Gamma rays are most commonly used for food processing. The process can prevent the division of living cells, such as bacteria, by changing their molecular structure. The gamma energy penetrates the food and its packaging, but most of the energy simply passes through the food, similar to the way that microwaves pass through food. The FDA says that irradiating meat is safe and that it doesn't change food's nutritional content, smell or flavor and no residues are left behind. Micro waving and traditional cooking methods have been shown to cause more vitamin loss in meat than irradiation.

Some critics are concerned that irradiation will be used as an excuse for processors to ignore cleanliness standards in the packinghouses. Irradiation cannot be used to make spoiled food good, or to clean up ''dirty" food. Neither irradiation nor any other process can reverse the spoilage process and make bad food good. If food already looks, tastes or smells bad before irradiation, it cannot be "saved" by any treatment including irradiation. Before beef gets into the hands of the consumers, it goes through many treatments to ensure that it is clean and free of contaminants. These processes include steam vacuuming, steam pasteurization, and hot water sprays and organic acid rinses and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HAACP) procedures. Irradiation will not replace any of these processes which are or soon will be required by law, but will be in addition to these procedures.

Irradiation is just one of several important tools, but it is the only "kill step" available before the product reaches the consumer. Consumers need to know that irradiation is not a "silver bullet." Even with irradiation, proper handling in the home is just as critical as it always has been. Just because a piece of meat has been irradiated, does not mean that it can be left sitting on a counter top for an extended period prior to serving. Cooking of ground beef to 160 degrees Fahrenheit and personal hygiene are still the ultimate food safety assurances.

Irradiation is not the sole answer to food safety problems, but it is a powerful weapon that is now available to wipe out food borne illness. The acceptance of irradiation is in the best interest of the federal government, the state health departments, the food industry, and most importantly, consumers.