FDA Now Allowing Irradiation of Fresh Spinach and Iceberg Lettuce
by Colin Lovett - PIC Current Producer
What do you like on your salad? Honey mustard or ranch. How about radiation? A new rule from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows producers to irradiate fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce to kill dangerous bacteria. This has sparked some praise and criticism and I thought you should know the facts.
[caption id="attachment_1111" align="alignright" width="220" caption="Courtesy of Muffet"]
[/caption]
The FDA rule gives food producers the option to use higher levels of irradiation to kill E. Coli and Salmonella, bacteria that can live on or in food products and make people very sick. The move comes after several cases of mass food poisoning in the past couple of years.
"Irradiation - Treating food with radiation to kill bacteria and parasites"
Experts say the process does kill the bacteria, which is a good thing. This actually works. They also say the food is safe for people to eat, which is also a good thing.
However, critics say irradiation lowers the nutritional value of food by reducing vitamins levels. They also say it could allow food producers to cut corners and avoid having to improve the the safety of their operations.
Here are some quick facts:
- The bacteria Salmonella and E Coli get into the food supply in several different ways, including cow poop getting into a farm's water supply or poor sanitation.
- Both of these bacteria can make people very sick, even causing death.
- Some irradiated spinach and iceberg lettuce will go on grocery store shelves, but will cost more.
- The irradiated produce will be labeled, which may hurt sales and cause producers to skip the practice. Customers have avoided meat with the irradiation label for several years.
- The risk of getting food poisoning from E Coli or Salmonella is very small. Most U.S. produce is safe to eat.
Here's what you can do to lower your risk of getting sick:
- Wash your produce under cold, running water before you eat it. This can help wash away some surface bacteria, plus it removes dirt or sand left on the food.
- Wash your hands, the counter and utensils when preparing food, especially if you are having meat. Use hot, soapy water.
- Always cook raw meat before eating. Raw meat has a much greater risk of containing bacteria that can make you sick.
- Wash your hands after using the restroom or changing a baby's diaper.
- Be extra careful when preparing food for infants, the elderly or those who have serious illnesses.
To find out more about this issue, please visit:
The Washington Post
The Chicago Tribune
WebMD
NPR - Learn How to Wash Produce
CDC - Salmonella
CDC - E. Coli
What is this?
Post new comment