Food Irradiation : Part 2

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

(Page 2 of 3)

Michael Colby, director of Food and Water, Inc., one of the more vocal groups lobbying against food irradiation, says the new poultry regulation will lead to nuclear hazards, including "the continued generation of radioactive wastes for which a secure isolation technology has yet to be developed." Colby submitted the comment during a 30-day objection period following publication of the final rule. In the case of food additives, FDA evaluates objections in order to determine whether any changes in the final rule are appropriate. Based on FDA's findings, those raising the objection may be entitled to a hearing before the commissioner.

FDA inspections of all irradiation plants conducted from 1986 to 1989 showed no violations of the food irradiation regulations.

Giddings contends that groups such as Food and Water play on the public's fear of nuclear energy and misrepresent the safety questions surrounding food irradiation. They frame it as a "populist" issue to legislators and pressure them to introduce legislation banning food irradiation.

Consumer Uncertainty

Other consumer groups have taken more moderate positions. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, for instance, says that "at a minimum, irradiated foods should be labeled" so that consumers know what they're buying.

Since 1966, FDA has required that irradiated foods be labeled as such. In 1986, a mandatory logo was added to this labeling requirement. The international logo, first used in the Netherlands, consists of a solid circle, representing an energy source, above two petals, which represent the food. Five breaks in the outer circle depict rays from the energy source.

Consumer surveys show mixed reactions. According to an article in the October 1989 issue of Food Technology magazine, which reviewed surveys conducted by various academic and consumer research groups, consumers are more concerned about chemical sprays and pesticide residues, preservatives, and food-borne illnesses than about food irradiation. A Louis Harris poll, conducted from 1984 through 1986, however, found that 76 percent of Americans consider irradiated food a hazard.

"Consumer acceptance of irradiation as a treatment for foods is showing only minimal positive change, at best," said Fred Shank, Ph.D., director of FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, in a symposium on food irradiation at the 1990 annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technology. Shank said that the greatest concern about the process is its perceived association with radioactivity and nuclear power.

Another concern, raised often in comments to FDA when it proposed the use of radiation to kill microorganisms in spices and insects in fresh foods, is that irradiation may produce substances not known to be present in nonirradiated foods.

These substances, described by scientists as "radiolytic products" sound more threatening than they actually are, says George Pauli, Ph.D., an FDA food irradiation expert and policy maker. For instance, Pauli says, when we heat food it often creates new substances that produce new tastes and smells. These substances could be called thermolytic products — an intimidating word for a harmless change.

In 1979, FDA established the Bureau of Foods Irradiated Food Committee (BFIFC) to review safety assessments of irradiated food. Experiments have shown that very few of these radiolytic products are unique to irradiated foods. In fact, the BFIFC estimated that approximately 90 percent of the substances identified as radiolytic products are found in foods that have not been irradiated — including raw, heated and stored foods. Moreover, many of these substances are not well known because the foods usually have not been studied at the minute (parts per million) levels scrutinized by chemists who analyzed the irradiated foods.

Proving the Absence of a Ghost

For 30 years, FDA has reviewed experiments attempting to show possible harmful effects of consuming irradiated food. But, "just as we can't prove the absence of a ghost, scientists cannot point to some 'thing' that proves the absence of risk," Pauli adds. "One can only search diligently."

The only relevant safety issue in food irradiation, BFIFC determined, would be the production of harmful substances. BFIFC examined all available data on such products obtained by the U.S. Army's high-protein food sterilization program. Only six substances (found in beef irradiated at 50 kiloGrays) of the 65 identified by Army researchers could not be verified in the literature as present in nonirradiated foods. These six substances were similar to natural food constituents.

The committee determined that even a diet consisting mainly of food irradiated at the 1 kiloGray level (see accompanying article) would not be likely to contain a significant amount of any of these products.

BFIFC concluded in 1980 that food irradiated at a dose not exceeding 1 kiloGray is safe for human consumption, and that animal tests are recommended only for foods irradiated above 1 kiloGray.

About the Author

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FDA is A United States government body that oversees medical devices, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, excimer lasers and eyedrops. In the US, these products must be approved by the FDA before they can be marketed.