The administration on Thursday backed away from a plan to scale back salmonella testing of ground beef destined for schools, but said the government likely still would purchase irradiated meat for schools. However, questions remain regarding the health effects of eating irradiated food. Following news reports on Thursday of the administration's reversal, the USDA told Public Citizen that its draft plan for procuring school lunch meat includes buying irradiated meat. And according to news reports, Ken Clayton, acting administrator of the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, which buys food for federal nutrition programs, said that if the USDA purchased irradiated meat for schools, it would be up to schools to disclose that fact to students and parents.
American children deserve better than to be fed inferior meat treated with high levels of radiation.
In sharp contrast to FDA claims of safety, based on grossly inadequate testing and rebutted by its own expert committees, there is well-documented scientific evidence that eating irradiated meat poses grave risks of cancer and genetic damage. Such evidence has been endorsed by a wide range of national and international independent public health experts. Now, it wants to use irradiation to clean up the problems this causes. The Bush administration shouldn't make American children guinea pigs for irradiation. Richard Kaplan, U.S. Public Interest Research Group's environmental advocate, reemphasized the need for parental right to know.