The December 2000 headline on a CBC website news story seemed definitive.
“Beef irradiation coming soon: cattlemen,” it read.
The story quoted Ben Thorlakson, then president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, saying final approval for irradiating ground beef was just around the corner.
Nine years later, Thorlakson, along with the rest of the beef industry, is still waiting to turn that corner.
The CCA made a submission to Health Canada seeking approval for irradiation in March 1998.
During irradiation, food is exposed briefly to a radiant energy source, such as gamma rays or electron beams, that kill harmful micro-organisms that cause food-borne illness.
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In November 2002, Health Canada published proposed regulations to permit irradiation of certain products, including ground beef, after determining it to be a safe and effective way of killing harmful micro-organisms.
But then things seemed to grind to a halt.
“We got partway along and then it just stalled,” Thorlakson recalled, adding Health Canada never really said why.
“I don’t think they had any real concerns, but there might have been some objections from the public.”
An official with Health Canada said the agency received more than 1,700 comments from interested parties after the proposed regulations were published.
Many were highly technical, said the official, necessitating further detailed review, which is continuing.
Thorlakson acknowledged some people are nervous about radiating food, but he’s convinced it’s safe and beneficial.
Health Canada says it’s looking at expanding the list of food that can be irradiated to include beef, among others, but won’t offer an estimate as to when that might happen.
Thorlakson is no longer directly involved in the issue, but the CCA continues to be one of the leading proponents of irradiation.
Mark Klassen, the association’s director of technical services, said he is cautiously optimistic that final approval for radiating ground beef will be granted this year.
“Why would the government hold up something that can save lives?” he said.
“It’s now a question of political will, not science.”
He said the listeria outbreak last year, which saw 20 people die after eating tainted meat from a Maple Leaf Foods plant, should have driven home the message that irradiation can save lives.
Around the same time as the beef application was filed, similar requests were filed for poultry, shrimp and mangoes. None of them have been approved.
Klassen said there have been positive signs on the beef front.
Several months ago Health Canada asked the CCA for practical information about how irradiation would be used when producing ground beef.
At the same time, he fears some people may have given up on ever getting approval for irradiation, given the lack of political leadership on the issue and strong opposition from consumer and anti-nuclear groups.
Another positive sign is a survey done by the CCA in 2008, which found 73 percent of respondents approved of irradiating ground beef.
“There will always be uncertainty over new technology and treatments, and always be a vocal minority,” he said.
Jim Laws, executive director of the Canadian Meat Council, said his organization supports irradiating meat as well as mandatory labelling.
“The consumer should have a choice whether to purchase irradiated meat,” he said.
The meat council sent a letter to the federal health minister several months ago encouraging him to speed the approval process.
“This is really a good time to push for it, with all the concern about food safety,” Laws said.
A parliamentary committee recently began hearings into food safety in the wake of the listeriosis outbreak.
“We certainly intend to bring this to the committee’s attention when we testify,” Laws said.
As for Thorlakson, he continues to follow the story with interest.
“I still think it’s a good idea,” he said in a recent interview from his feedlot in Airdrie, Alta. “I think anything that reduces the incidence of food-borne infections is good. I haven’t heard any downside.”
