Canada’s largest consumer lobby has reversed three decades of opposition to food irradiation by urging Ottawa to increase use of the technology on imported food.
The proposal came from Consumers’ Association of Canada president Bruce Cran during a recent consumer discussion held with agriculture minister Gerry Ritz and officials from Agriculture Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Cran said in a June 23 interview from British Columbia that the 30-year-old policy to oppose irradiation has been changed because of improvements in the technology and the increased risk of contaminated imported food.
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The most recent example is the outbreak of E. coli on European bean sprouts that killed at least 29 people and sicken ed thousands more.
“We are suggesting that irradiation technology has come a long way since we first opposed it,” said Cran.
“We see a lot more threat to food safety from imports and we are suggesting the government consider increased use of irradiation as one of their tools. If irradiation is the lesser of two evils, one of which is unsafe food, we opt for irradiation.”
A limited number of products can already be irradiated in Canada to guard against contamination or extend shelf life. Spices, onions, wheat and flour are on the approved list.
“We are not saying this would be the be all and end all solution to the problem of food safety but we are saying it should be one of the options,” said Cran.
He made his pitch to agriculture officials, but the power to authorize increased irradiation lies with Health Canada. The department did not respond to a request for comment before deadline.
Word of the change in the consumer association’s position was welcomed as progress at the Canadian Meat Council, which represents federally inspected packing plants.
The council has long advocated that Canada join the United States in allowing irradiation of meat.
“We applaud that change of position,” executive director Jim Laws said. “We have been asking the federal government to take another opportunity to review the technology that is available. We believe it is a safe process that enhances food safety and we think the change in consumer attitudes is positive.”
However, NDP agriculture and food safety critic Malcolm Allen was more guarded in his response.
“Rather than have a technology designed to fix food problems when they arrive on our shores, I think we should be demanding that countries we buy food from have systems in place that assure the food we are importing is safe.”
On the European E. coli issue, CFIA said there is no evidence that contaminated products have been imported to Canada. Still, it said it is being vigilant.
“As a safety precaution, incoming shipments from the European Union will be identified and the CFIA will intensify sampling and testing of these products for the presence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, the E. coli strain linked to the outbreak in Europe,” it said.
WHAT IS FOOD IRRADIATION?
• Food irradiation is the process of exposing food to a controlled amount of energy called ionizing radiation.
• This radiation penetrates food and kills micro-organisms such as E. coli 0157: H7, salmonella and campylobacter bacteria.
• It helps prevent spoilage by destroying bacteria, moulds and yeast and controls insect or parasite infections.
• It increases shelf life by slowing ripening or sprouting in fresh fruits and vegetables.
• The green radura (shown at left) is the international symbol that indicates a food has been irradiated. Irradiated foods must display this symbol, along with a statement that the product has been irradiated, on or beside the food.
Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency
