FDA Allows Irradiation for Meat

Labels Required

In December, the US Department of Agriculture gave the go ahead to allow the food industry to irradiate meat, including such products as ground beef, steaks, and pork chops. All irradiated packaged meat and meat products will have to be labeled with the radura international symbol for irradiation, and a statement that the product was "treated by irradiation." Irradiated meat used in other products such as sausages and bologna also must be labeled.

For unpackaged meat products that do not have labels, the statement and logo must be displayed at the point of sale to consumers.

The labeling requirements do not apply to meat bought through foodservice operations, such as restaurants, school cafeterias or hospitals. This is a major loophole, because fast-food restaurants are expected to be major purchasers of irradiated meat. The US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of irradiation technology for red meat in December 1997, but the USDA took nearly two years to develop the new regulations.

The new irradiation rules for meat will go into effect on February 22. Last year, the USDA received thousands of comments from consumers, including many OCA members, demanding that labeling be required and prominently displayed for irradiated foods.

Irradiation has been approved for poultry products since 1992, but the industry has been slow to adopt the technology because of the cost, and consistent polls indicating that consumers don't want irradiated food. Meat packers such as IBP Inc. are expected to start test marketing irradiated ground beef to probe consumer response.

Immediately after the USDA announcement the Grocery Manufacturers of America announced that they would jumpstart a public education campaign on the benefits of irradiation. There have been no long-term studies on the effects of eating irradiated food.

However, a number of studies have found that eating irradiated food can have detrimental effects. Mice and rats have been found to have a greater incidence of kidney disease after eating irradiated food. Another study found testicular damage in rats fed irradiated food. Yet another study in India found that malnourished children eating irradiated wheat may develop an increase in abnormal white blood cells, a condition known as polyploidy.

Unfortunately, irradiation is seen as shortcut by the meat industry to avoid addressing dirty slaughterhouses, rampant bacterial contamination, and other impacts of industrial agriculture. Certified organic meat cannot be irradiated.

For more on the potential hazards of irradiated foods, go to: http://www.purefood.org/irradlink.html
Organic View - An e-mail publication of the Organic Consumers Association v.2 n.1 January 23, 2000