Just last week, the FDA announced an amendment to the additive regulations for spinach and iceburg lettuce. Manufacturers can now use irradiation to treat produce for unwanted pathogens. This is largely due to the E Coli and food borne pathogen fears resulting from recent highly publicized outbreaks.
The topic of irradiation is controversial as many food activists are extremely opposed to the process. It seems that instead of dealing with the immediate problems of contaminated food and obviously flawed growing and handling methods, we are putting a band aid on the situation. We aren't treating the problem of food contamination, merely masking it.
See FDA
announcement here.
It is important to know what you are putting into your body, so I am providing you with two sides to the irradiation story.
Here is what the FDA says about food irradiation in terms of spinach and lettuce. They obviously believe the risk of food borne pathogens is now greater than the long term risk of food irradiation.
Here is what the Organic Consumers Association says about the dangers of food irradiation. I choose to agree with them. We don't know the long term effects of irradiation, and I am not willing to risk it.
Here is a list of alternatives to irradiation provided by the Organic Consumers Association.
It's your body, it's up to you. I choose not to put irradiated food in mine.
Just last week, the FDA announced an amendment to the additive regulations for spinach and iceburg lettuce. Manufacturers can now use irradiation to treat produce for unwanted pathogens. This is largely due to the E Coli and food borne pathogen fears resulting from recent highly publicized outbreaks.
The topic of irradiation is controversial as many food activists are extremely opposed to the process. It seems that instead of dealing with the immediate problems of contaminated food and obviously flawed growing and handling methods, we are putting a band aid on the situation. We aren't treating the problem of food contamination, merely masking it.
See FDA announcement here.
It is important to know what you are putting into your body, so I am providing you with two sides to the irradiation story.
Here is what the FDA says about food irradiation in terms of spinach and lettuce. They obviously believe the risk of food borne pathogens is now greater than the long term risk of food irradiation.
Here is what the Organic Consumers Association says about the dangers of food irradiation. I choose to agree with them. We don't know the long term effects of irradiation, and I am not willing to risk it. Here is a list of alternatives to irradiation provided by the Organic Consumers Association.
It's your body, it's up to you. I choose not to put irradiated food in mine.