Moreover, raising an apple or any other farm product by organic methods does not automatically make the product more nutritious. The proposal is based on production practices that characterize an organic farming culture that is thriving nationwide and particularly in Wisconsin, which ranked sixth among states in land devoted to organic crops in 1997, the most recent year for which data are available. Included are prohibitions on the use of antibiotics in livestock production and restrictions on the use of fertilizers, pesticides and food additives. Also included are bans on genetically engineered crops and irradiation. Those bans actually restrict the organic food industry's ability to compete against conventional foods on safety and nutrition.
Irradiation is a food safety tool above and beyond regulatory requirements.