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Food Irradiation
This page describes the importance and benefits of food irradiation.
On this page:
Overview
Food irradiation is a food safety technology that eliminates pathogens, including disease-causing germs, from foods. Like pasteurization of milk, and pressure cooking of canned foods, treating food with ionizing radiation kills bacteria and parasites that would otherwise cause food-borne diseases, a world-wide concern. For example, the food that NASA astronauts eat is sterilized by irradiation to avoid the possibility of food-borne illness in space.
Remember
Food irradiation does not make food radioactive.According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), studies clearly show that, when done correctly, food irradiation provides a number of benefits:
- reduces or eliminates disease-causing pathogens
- does not make food radioactive
- does not change the nutritional value of the food.
However, food irradiation does not eliminate all food dangers and does create some problems:
- It does not inactivate dangerous toxins which have already been produced by bacteria prior to irradiation. In some cases, such as C. botulism, it is the toxin produced by the bacteria, rather than the bacteria itself, which poses the health hazard.
- It does not prevent the aging of the fruit and vegetables that can lower their nutritional value, taste and flavors. Irradiating fruit and vegetables to extend their shelf life can make “old” food look “fresh”.
- Irradiation also unavoidably kills off bacteria that produce the smells that warn you when food is going "bad."
- Irradiated food does not meet the definition of organic.
Three different irradiation technologies exist, each using a different kind of ray: gamma rays (from cobalt-60 sources), electron beams, and x-rays. All three methods use the same concept to accomplish food irradiation. When ionizing radiation strikes bacteria and other microbes, its high energy breaks chemical bonds in molecules that are vital for cell growth and integrity. As a result, the microbes die, or can no longer multiply causing illness or spoilage.
Who is protecting you
U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN)
FDA approves food irradiation techniques for a number of foods including herbs and spices, fresh fruits and vegetables, wheat, flour, pork, poultry, and red meat. FDA requires that irradiated foods bear both a logo and a statement that the food has been irradiated.
U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA)
USDA supports FDA in promoting appropriate uses of food irradiation. USDA also sets, defines and regulates the use and meaning of "organic" on food labels (irradiated food does not meet the definition of “organic”).
What you can do to protect yourself
The safety of irradiated food has been well researched and documented to kill harmful bacteria and control food spoilage. Food irradiation does not make food radioactive. Be aware of the limits and negative effects of irradiation: it does not eliminate dangerous toxins that are already there; it masks the aging of fruits and vegetables, it kills bacteria that produce smells that warn us food is spoiling, and it disqualifies food from being labeled "organic."
Resources
| Food
Irradiation 8 March 2006 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency This page provides basic information on food irradiation and the radioactive sources used in the food irradiation process. |
Facts
about Food Irradiation
 1999 -International Atomic Energy Agency This document is a series of fact sheets on food irradiation from the International Consultative Group on Food Irradiation (ICGFI). |
| Food
Irradiation: The treatment of foods with ionizing radiation June 1998 - U.S. Food and Drug Administration This page gives more in-depth information on the food irradiation process and discusses the role FDA plays in the food irradiation process. |
| “Food
Safety and Irradiation: Protecting the Public from Foodborne
Infections” 21 April 2003 - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention This page addresses the history, the current methods, health benefits, and potential public concerns regarding food irradiation. |
| Frequently Asked Questions About Food Irradiation 11 October 2005 - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention This page answers frequently asked questions about food irradiation. |
| Irradiation
23 December 2005. Gateway to Government Food Safety Information This site provides links to federal and state food irradiation web sites. |
| "Organic
Food Standards and Labels”
April 2002. The National Organic Program This page provides information on organic food. |
| “Understanding
Radiation”
5 December 2002 -. National Safety Council This page discusses the different ways that ionizing radiation is used, including food irradiation. |