The New York Times did an editorial on food irradiation that prompted me to do my own research. It was interesting that they mentioned that “NASA has long fed astronauts irradiated beef”. Anyway, this is an example of a scary word (radiation) attracting far more attention than some other processes without a scary name.
Several hours of research later, here’s what I’ve got: Critics say it should not be used because of loss of nutrients, quality and potentially harmful chemical byproducts. The Organic Consumers Association makes the claim:
Eating irradiated food may make “the body more susceptible to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, liver damage, muscular breakdown and other serious problems
There is definitely a yuck factor (”mutations, radiation, etc.”), but is there a danger?
- We lose nutrients when we freeze and can food to preserve it, but nobody is screaming that those processes be disallowed. Loss of nutrients is no more than, and often less than other methods we use to extend shelf life or make food safer to eat.
- Chemical byproducts seemed to be the most likely real concern to me. The citations I found that referenced harmful effects of feeding irradiated food were mostly from Japan and Eastern Europe. The doses of radiation used on the animal feed were one to several orders of magnitude higher than what is used in our food (think Chernobyl and the atomic bomb). The Institute for Food Technology reviews several research reports on the unique chemical byproducts that may be produced by irradiation. Even in those that show potential carcinogenic (cancer-causing) effects, the lowest exposure amount at which effects are seen is 8000-10,000 times higher than would be consumed in a normal diet. Levels of benzene and toluene are lower in irradiated beef than in juch non-irradiated fish. We produce carcinogens every time we grill or burn food.
- Labelling. Irradiated food must be labelled in the grocery store, when it is a major component. Spices, flavorings etc. may be irradiated and included without labelling. Restaurants are not required to disclose use of irradiated food items.
Irradiation is primarily a process used to increase food safety (lowering risk of bacterial contamination) and secondarily to increase shelf life (fresh strawberries last 2-3 times longer if irradiated). Although I agree that we need to address food safety on the production level, too, there will always be bacterial contamination and if a process reduces risk of food-borne illness without increasing other risks, why not use it?
My bottom line? I think irradiation is no more likely to decrease food’s value or increase it’s carcinogenicity than most other cooking and sanitation practices. The food safety aspects are incontrovertible.
Here’s some links and resources to help you do your own research.
FSIS document explaining irradiation
Iowa State University fact sheet
Some discussions: Food Production Daily, Health Castle, Ethicurean, Fresh Talk. Blogher summarizes many blog posts–lots of gut-level distrust, but no solid scientific reasons to reject it. A great two-sided discussion follows.
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