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:
News
May 2, 2007
For more information on the hazards of irradiated foods, visit OCA's Irradiation Page.
WASHINGTON, May 2, 2007 (ENS) - The United States Tuesday began to accept shipments of irradiated mangoes from India, the first U.S. imports of irradiated fruit.
Irradiation is the process of exposing food to ionizing radiation to disinfect, sanitize, sterilize, preserve food or to provide insect disinfestation. It serves as an alternative to other pest control methods such as Read more
WASHINGTON, May 2, 2007 (ENS) - The United States Tuesday began to accept shipments of irradiated mangoes from India, the first U.S. imports of irradiated fruit.
Irradiation is the process of exposing food to ionizing radiation to disinfect, sanitize, sterilize, preserve food or to provide insect disinfestation. It serves as an alternative to other pest control methods such as Read more
News
April 6, 2007
The FDA has proposed relaxing its rules on labeling of irradiated foods; it may allow some irradiated products to be labeled "pasteurized."
The change would require companies to label irradiated food only if the irradiation causes a material change to the product, such as changes to the taste, texture, smell or shelf life of a food.
Pasteurization usually means heating a product to a high temperature and then cooling it rapidly. The FDA proposed letting companies use the term "pasteurized" to describe irradiated foods if the radiation kills germs as well as the Read more
The change would require companies to label irradiated food only if the irradiation causes a material change to the product, such as changes to the taste, texture, smell or shelf life of a food.
Pasteurization usually means heating a product to a high temperature and then cooling it rapidly. The FDA proposed letting companies use the term "pasteurized" to describe irradiated foods if the radiation kills germs as well as the Read more
News
April 10, 2007
The USDA is attempting to require that all
almonds grown in California to be sterilized with various
pasteurization techniques in response to Salmonella outbreaks in 2001
and 2004 that were traced to raw almonds. All almonds, with two
exceptions, would undergo a sterilization process that includes
chemicals and/or high-temperature treatments. Organic raw almonds will
not be fumigated and undergo only the steam-heat treatment thus they
are no longer "raw," and small-scale growers can sell "raw" almonds
only direct from farm stands.
Read more
News
April 10, 2007
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently
proposed rules that would relax some labeling restrictions on
irradiated foods and invited the public to comment.
The FDA currently requires all irradiated foods to have the international radura symbol and the statement "treated by irradiation" or "treated with radiation" clearly displayed on the packaging.
However, in an Apr 4 notice published in the Federal Register, the FDA proposed that only foods that are "materially changed" by
Read more News
April 3, 2007
From CommonDreams.org
CONTACT: Food and Water Watch
Jen Mueller: 202-797-6553, jmueller@fwwatch.org
Patty Lovera: 202-797-6557, plovera@fwwatch.org
FDA Considers Mislabeling Irradiated Food
"The Food and Drug Administration announced today that it may allow irradiated food to be mislabeled with alternate terms such as 'pasteurized.' This move by FDA would deny consumers clear information about whether they are buying food that has been exposed to high doses of ionizing radiation.
"Consumers Read more
CONTACT: Food and Water Watch
Jen Mueller: 202-797-6553, jmueller@fwwatch.org
Patty Lovera: 202-797-6557, plovera@fwwatch.org
FDA Considers Mislabeling Irradiated Food
"The Food and Drug Administration announced today that it may allow irradiated food to be mislabeled with alternate terms such as 'pasteurized.' This move by FDA would deny consumers clear information about whether they are buying food that has been exposed to high doses of ionizing radiation.
"Consumers Read more
News
April 4, 2007
From CommonDreams.org
WASHINGTON - The government proposed today relaxing its rules on labeling of irradiated foods and suggested it may allow some products zapped with radiation to be called "pasteurized." The Food and Drug Administration said the proposed rule would require companies to label irradiated food only when the radiation treatment causes a material change to the product. Examples includes changes to the taste, texture, smell or shelf life of a food.
The FDA also proposed letting companies use the term "pasteurized" to describe irradiated foods. To do so Read more
WASHINGTON - The government proposed today relaxing its rules on labeling of irradiated foods and suggested it may allow some products zapped with radiation to be called "pasteurized." The Food and Drug Administration said the proposed rule would require companies to label irradiated food only when the radiation treatment causes a material change to the product. Examples includes changes to the taste, texture, smell or shelf life of a food.
The FDA also proposed letting companies use the term "pasteurized" to describe irradiated foods. To do so Read more
News
March 18, 2007
MULBERRY --
Omaha Steaks Co. President Bruce Simon doesn't want any dead
tailgaters -- or anyone else -- haunting his conscience.
So, for more than seven years, his family-owned company has called on a Polk County business to zap its burgers with cobalt-60, a radioactive material that kills bacteria such as E. coli, which can contaminate the surface of beef during slaughter and sicken or even kill people. [...] Read more
So, for more than seven years, his family-owned company has called on a Polk County business to zap its burgers with cobalt-60, a radioactive material that kills bacteria such as E. coli, which can contaminate the surface of beef during slaughter and sicken or even kill people. [...] Read more
News
January 29, 2007
Web Note: Please visit the website above and watch the actual segment that aired on the Today Show. You will see a very biased newscast, if it can be called that. Madelyn Fernstrom is plainly on the side of the Food Irradiation industry. She makes bold, sweeping and entirely undocumentable statements about how harmless food irradiation really is, and even goes so far as to insinuate that radiation is not a part of the process and that if it were called something like "cold pasteurization" no one would be concerned about it at all. This is shameless propaganda Read more
News
December 19, 2006
The Wall Street Journal editorial board noted yesterday that, "The recent E. coli outbreaks are playing as a familiar morality tale of too little regulation. The real story is a much bigger scandal: How special interests have blocked approval of a technology that could sanitize fruits and vegetables and reduce food poisoning in America.
"The technology is known as food 'irradiation,' a process that propels gamma rays into meat, poultry and produce in order to kill most insects and bacteria Read more
"The technology is known as food 'irradiation,' a process that propels gamma rays into meat, poultry and produce in order to kill most insects and bacteria Read more
News
November 28, 2006
From CommonDreams.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 28, 2006 3:00 PM
CONTACT:
Food and Water Watch
Jen Mueller
(202) 797-6553
jmueller@fwwatch.org
Global Week of Action Against Food Irradiation
Statement of Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter
WASHINGTON - November 28 - Each November since 2003, activists around the world have worked together to organize a Global Week of Action Against Food Irradiation. Events ranging from educational Read more
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 28, 2006 3:00 PM
CONTACT:
Food and Water Watch
Jen Mueller
(202) 797-6553
jmueller@fwwatch.org
Global Week of Action Against Food Irradiation
Statement of Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter
WASHINGTON - November 28 - Each November since 2003, activists around the world have worked together to organize a Global Week of Action Against Food Irradiation. Events ranging from educational Read more
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