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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The American government has approved irradiation for raw meat and raw meat products.
Secretary of agriculture Dan Glickman announced the United States Department of Agriculture will allow irradiation on all meat products. The decision came 14 months after the Food and Drug Administration said the procedure is safe for treating raw meat. The announcement was made at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention in North Carolina.
“This is very important technology for food safety,” Glickman said, but added it is an expensive procedure that is only one tool to create totally sanitary food.
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“Nobody should be fooled that it is some kind of magic bullet that will be the cure-all for all food safety concerns, because it will not.
“Most consumers will accept that.”
The process uses gamma radiation to reduce or eliminate path-ogens like strains of E. coli bacteria on meat and poultry.
Irradiated foods must carry the radura symbol and a statement indicating the product was treated by irradiation.
The process will be permitted to treat refrigerated or frozen uncooked meat. No processing plant is required to use irradiation.
In addition to beef, the USDA will allow irradiation of raw poultry and poultry carcasses before packaging. Before the regulation change, only packaged poultry could be irradiated. It can also be used for products like sausage and bologna.
Consumer groups, which have clamored for better food safety technology, have been lukewarm about irradiation.
While the process effectively kills sickness-causing bacteria such as E. coli 0157:H7, listeria, campylobacter and salmonella, it can leave products with a slightly “off taste,” according to some groups.
Another issue is ensuring worker safety around radiation equipment.
The labeling of irradiated meats is likely to trigger wrangling between industry and consumer groups.
“If in fact the technology is safe and doesn’t change the product, we as a scientific organization don’t see the rationale for it to be on the label,” said Dane Bernard, a vice-president of the National Food Processors Association.
The USDA’s proposed rules would require the international radiation symbol on labels plus a statement indicating the product was treated with irradiation.
Consumer groups want the information prominently displayed in large typeface so shoppers know what they are buying.
“There are a group of consumers who will never buy irradiated foods because they want fresh, natural and minimally processed foods. There is another group of consumers like nursing homes and day-care centres who would seek out irradiated foods,” said Caroline Smith de Waal, food safety expert with the Centre for Science in the Public Interest.
“Then there is the vast body of consumers who don’t fit into either category and we don’t know how they will react,” she added.
The FDA, which has jurisdiction over all foods except meat and poultry, is expected to launch its own review next week of how to label irradiated products, industry sources said. The FDA has also promised to speed up its review of new food additives to destroy food bacteria.
Labeling is a key issue because of the meat industry’s hesitation to invest in irradiation equipment unless it believes consumers will buy the product. Test marketing of irradiated products will be launched soon after the USDA finalizes its rules.
