Food irradiation, no thanks

Japanese consumer organizations do not want foods to be irradiated, and have recently protested against expanding the list of foods, such as spices, that may be irradiated.

Food Safety Citizen's Watch has more details.

Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to revise its labeling regulations for irradiated foods and supplements, suggesting that some irradiated foods could be labeled as "pasteurized".

Irradiated foods sold in stores must be labeled as "treated with irradiation" and carry the 'radura' symbol. FDA is also proposing to allow a firm to petition for use of an alternate term to "irradiation" (other than "pasteurized"). In addition, FDA is proposing to permit a firm to use the term "pasteurized" in place of "irradiated". Comments to the proposed ruling must be received by July 3 2007. To view the proposed rule, click here.

Currently the US has roughly 50 irradiation facilities, used mainly for medical supplies and other non-food items. According to a report published last year by Food & Water Watch, food irradiation is unpopular among consumers in the US.

"A string of failures makes it clear there is little demand for irradiated food in the US," the organization reported. "As a result of low consumer demand, several irradiation companies have struggled."

The 2004 bankruptcy of San Diego-based SureBeam was the most notable failure, said the report. The bankruptcy resulted in the virtual end of irradiated meat sales and the idling of three irradiators, in Sioux City, Iowa, and near Chicago and Los Angeles.

Atoms for peace, anyone? SureBeam was a company that was spun off from San Diego defence contractor Titan in March 2001. BBC noted in 2004 that these firms were active in Iraq, well, stay out of the food business, please.

"They do the stuff that no one likes to talk about," said Tom Mulholland, the London-based business editor of Jane's Defence Weekly.

US president Eisenhower's speech about the "fearful atomic dilemma" to the United Nations (he was invited by Swedish secretary general Dag Hammarskjöld) and his proposal for an International Atomic Energy Agency can be found here.