The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have recently initiated controls that should greatly reduce the risk of BSE in U.S. cattle herds. In the U.S., food irradiation has been used since 1963 to control insect infestation and to extend shelf-life. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the use of irradiation to control harmful bacteria on fresh and frozen beef, pork, lamb and horsemeat. I predict that a few adventurous food processors will soon offer irradiated meats to the consuming public. Hopefully, irradiation will prove to be a valuable and accepted means of improving food safety.
Food irradiation is surely the most studied of all food processes or additives.
Every major health organization and governmental body has endorsed the use of food irradiation. To name a few, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization and the European Union have all endorsed food irradiation. Finally, the vast majority of food scientists, radiation physicists and public health officials have endorsed food irradiation. This support for food irradiation has come only after considering the results of many research studies investigating all aspects of food irradiation safety. The safety of food irradiation is not universally accepted.