Irradiation
Information on Food Irradiation
Irradiated fruits and vegetables benefit the packer and grocer, not the farmer or consumer. The consumer receives an inferior product that appears fresh, but has depleted vitamins and enzymes. The U.S. only requires a radura symbol, the food irradiation label, on foods in which the irradiation causes a material change in the food. Ingredients processed by restaurants or food manufacturers do not require labels. The OCA calls for these labeling requirementson ALL irradiated foods:
Action Alert
The FDA has proposed a new rule under the 2010 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), one aimed at preventing foodborne illnesses. One of the ways for producers of fruits and vegetables to avoid having to comply with the new rule would be to irradiate their products.
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January 8, 2013
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) became law in 2010. We, along with other consumer groups, were able to block some of the worst provisions of the proposed bill, but it was still flawed legislation as passed. The basic problem is that every... Read more
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November 10, 2012
There is a profound misunderstanding in the mass market today about the value of certified organic food. The question is not whether the 50% higher or more you pay at the register for an organic product is really worth the added vitamin, mineral... Read more
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March 30, 2012
Under the Occupy 2012 banner of the “American Spring,” the movement spearheaded the largest protest ever against the Environmental Protection Agency/EPA last Friday in Washington D.C. The Organic Consumers Association's political director Alexis... Read more
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June 19, 2011
In the wake of Europe's recent E. coli outbreak, in which sprouts contaminated with a particularly vicious strain killed 36 people and sickened thousands, food safety officials are asking once again what more can be done to curb the spread of food... Read more
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September 28, 2011
This summer, the US Dept. of Agriculture quietly turned down a six-year-old petition from the American Meat Institute to allow the use of electron-beam irradiation on meat and poultry carcasses as a food-safety processing tool. The Food Safety and... Read more
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July 18, 2011
Minamisoma, Japan - Even after explosions rocked the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Kuniaki Sato, who raises cattle here about 20 miles from the crippled complex, said he had received no clear warning from the government about the possible... Read more
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July 14, 2011
While we all agree that the food industry needs to be able to deliver food free of disease-causing pathogens like E. coli and salmonella, there is no real agreement on exactly how to do that. Read more
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February 25, 2010
In response to last year's outbreaks of E. coli, salmonella, and ammonia in beef, the American Meat Institute (AMI) is urging the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to approve slaughterhouse irradiation as the solution. The AMI has... Read more
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October 5, 2009
Dear Lou,
Is food irradiation good enough that we could theoretically go back to having rare hamburgers, soft-boiled eggs and unpasteurized milk? I miss all of those! Read more
