Five other chemicals that appeared do not appear naturally in any food. FDA and other government agencies have done very little research on the potential harmful effects that these could have on humans. Not only did our delegation choose to ignore this study when it went to The Hague and supported the proposal to remove the irradiation dose cap, our delegates also supported the further weakening of safeguards for consumers and for workers employed at food irradiation facilities. It is well known within the scientific community and within the FDA and the food industry itself that irradiation causes substantial losses of key vitamins that are essential to human nutrition. These include vitamins A, B-complex, C, E and beta carotene.
Irradiation also breaks down amino acids and essential fatty acids.
The FDA is well aware of these problems, yet the agency legalized the irradiation of juice despite the fact that irradiation destroys 48 percent of beta carotene and 13 percent of vitamin C in orange juice. Irradiation is one these technologies. If meat is diseased or filthy during the slaughtering process, all irradiation will do is to sanitize that disease and filth. It will not remove the filth. It will not make that meat wholesome.