Lawmakers think so, and they blame it on irradiation, the word. A spending bill that President Clinton recently signed into law directs the agency to come up with the wording by early 2002. Even before that approval, industry officials worried that consumers would balk at the term irradiation.
Food is irradiated when it is exposed briefly to electrons, gamma rays or X-rays.
The FDA requires labeling of irradiated products to indicate that they have been treated with irradiation. They also must bear a special symbol, known as the radura, which consists of green petals in a broken circle. At the direction of Congress, the agency proposed early last year to consider alternative language for the labels. The FDA has yet to act. The FDA is reviewing public comments as it considers the idea of different language on food labels.