IRRADIATED FOOD
Irradiated food has been exposed to ionizing radiation (similar to x-rays) that kills harmful bacteria and parasites in food. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has tried to introduce irradiated ground beef into the school lunch program since 2001. A huge negative reaction from the public led the Department to ban such foods from the program. However, Iowa Senator Harkin introduced a bill in 2002 that allowed the Department to use such foods in the school lunch program that serves 27 million students. Over 200 school districts around the country banned the use of such food in their cafeterias. Why is there a public outcry over irradiated food?
Proponents of irradiation say it will make the food safer to eat by reducing the risk of food-borne bacterial and parasitic diseases. No clinical trials have been done to support this claim. Opponents cite a variety of research that shows eating such food can be hazardous to your health. Not all disease-causing organisms are destroyed by this method and the food must therefore be properly cooked to insure safety. Laboratory rats fed irradiated food show signs of genetic damage and higher cancer rates. Irradiation creates a new class of chemicals never found in foods before called cyclobutanones. These chemicals produce cancer in human cells in lab tests. Consumer Reports trained tasters noted a slight but distinct off-taste and smell and likened it to “singed hair”.
The vitamins A, B complex, C and E are destroyed by irradiation. The fat in the beef is changed to trans fatty acids. Trans fatty acids are now known to be contributors to a host of chronic illnesses and it also elevates levels of the artery clogging bad cholesterol.
Currently the Department of Agriculture is allowed to offer the irradiated beef to school districts and schools are free to use it or not. Irradiated beef is not required to be labeled as such and parents need to ask the school board and purchasing agent for the lunch program if irradiated food is being used in the lunch program.
It seems incredible that the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency would allow food that has been damaged nutritionally and that has serious health risks to be used as an experiment in American school children. More information about the issue of irradiated food can be found at www.foodandwater.com, www.purefood.org, www.organicconsumers.org, and www.safelunch.org.
Daniel Blodgett MD