Irradiated food

The latest food-safety maybe

By Caroline Cummins

February 9, 2009

So the feds, the New York Times recently reported, have been considering irradiating our food for several years. Some foods sold in the U.S., in fact, are already irradiated to kill germs and bugs, such as mangoes from India. But, by and large, irradiation isn’t happening, although it might’ve prevented people falling sick from the recent outbreaks of E. coli in spinach and salmonella in peanut butter. Why not? Says the Times:

Food manufacturers worry that the apparent benefits do not justify the cost or the potential consumer backlash. Some consumer groups complain that widespread irradiation of food after processing would simply cover up the food industry’s hygiene problems. And some advocacy groups question the long-term safety of irradiation.

Yup, all those things.