"irradiation" news and stories

After the recent salmonella outbreak killed as many as eight people and sickened more than 500, some are wondering whether it's time for more widespread irradiation of food.

Irradiation. Doesn't have a positive ring. More typically associated with words like "cancer" and "Chernobyl" than words like "peanut butter" and "spinach." But the FDA, along with a number of medical professionals and food scientists, say irradiation may be the best way to prevent food-borne illness outbreaks, and, despite the scary associations, it's really and truly safe.

Irradiation of food involves brief exposure to gamma rays or X-rays to kill bacteria or other pathogens. It does not leave any traces of radiation in food. But some say it destroys nutrients and merely serves as a cover-up for shoddy sanitation practices in food factories. Others say it's a useful and vastly underutilized tool that could prevent some 5,000 deaths and 325,000 hospitalizations due to food poisoning each year. Right now irradiation is approved by the FDA for spinach, iceberg lettuce, meat and several kinds of imported produce, but is rarely used.

What do you think? Should we be irradiating the food supply or not?

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