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Irradiated food: friend or foe?
In May 2002, Congress approved a farm bill that allows irradiated meat in school lunch programs. This move prompted environmental and health-related groups to call for independent studies and public debates on the health issues surrounding irradiated food. Meanwhile groups like the American Meat Institute and the American Medical Association labeled irradiated beef safe for human and animal consumption. It would be a welcome relief in these anxious times to believe that irradiated food is safe and nutritious, but like anything else, all sides need to weigh in before the public can make an informed decision on this controversial issue.
Two comprehensive overviews on irradiated food and food safety can be found in CQ Researcher, http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/ugl/e-resources/cq.html. A 1992 article, entitled "Food Irradiation," provides background information, health concerns, a chronology of irradiation technology and an extensive bibliography of additional resources. A more recent article on food safety discusses food-borne illnesses, the vulnerability of U.S. food stores to terrorism, the recent increase of food recalls and the government response. Further synopses and public commentaries can be found in Facts.com (http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/lml/e-resources/facts.html), and Factiva (http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/factiva.html, using the terms "irradiated food" or "food safety."
Government publications on irradiated food can be found at the U.S.Department of Agriculture/Food and Drug Administration's Foodborne Illness Education Center at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodborne/fbindex/035.htm. Included on the site is a 1957 study, "Food Irradiation Wholesomeness Collection," that covers the process of radiation, the effects of radiation on packaging, the economic impact of irradiating food, consumer acceptability of irradiated food and the impact of irradiated food on livestock and pets. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created a list of FAQs (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/foodirradiation.htm), and the Environmental Protection Agency provides detailed explanations on the irradiation process and food labeling at their Food Irradiation Web site, http://www.epa.gov/radiation/sources/food_irrad.htm. An international perspective can be found at the World Health Organization's Web site at http://www.who.int/health_topics/food_safety/en/.
Proponents of food irradiation, like the International Consultative Group on Food Irradiation (http://www.iaea.org/icgfi/programmes.htm), the Center for Consumer Research (http://ccr.ucdavis.edu/irr/what3.shtml) and the National Food Processors Association (http://www.nfpa-food.org/science/irrbrochure.html), attempt to monitor research efforts, independently evaluate scientific findings and lobby leaders on behalf of public and corporate interests.
Opponents of irradiation evaluate current research and increase public awareness of the health risks associated with irradiated food. In addition to providing clear, scientific reasons not to accept irradiated food, groups like Public Citizen (http://www.citizen.org/cmep/foodsafety/food_irrad/) also organize grassroots boycotts, lobby Congress and provide the news media with opposing commentary. Other organizations, like the Organic Consumers Association (http://www.organicconsumers.org/irradlink.html), highlight international issues like imported irradiated spices, poor labeling of international produce and global consumer activism.
The pro-irradiation camp points to issues like pathogenic contamination due to poor handling, biological terrorism on non-irradiated food supplies and the economic benefits of longer shelf-lives, while the anti-irradiation camp points to the risk of human and animal organ damage due to radiation exposure, the eradication of naturally occurring, beneficial organisms and the potential for environmental disasters due to processing accidents. In the end, only you can decide whether irradiated food is friend or foe.
-Don Hartman and Cynthia Tysick, University Libraries