The consumer who reads this thinks that they will always know if their food has been irradiated. None of these institutions or companies are required to label irradiated food to the consumer. Produce sold by the piece is supposed to be labeled on the display or on the fruit itself, but there is no enforcement and no specific size for the display label. Consumers are NOT adequately notified by existing labeling requirements. And food industry groups have been pressuring Congress to require the FDA to remove ALL labels.
Irradiated products cost slightly more than their conventional counterparts.
Some industry experts estimate the cost at two to three cents higher per pound for fruits and vegetables and three to five cents higher per pound for meat and poultry products. These costs may be offset by advantages such as keeping a product fresh longer and enhancing its safety, Food trade groups say that as irradiation becomes more common, the cost is likely to drop. Both the electron beam and gamma ray technologies used today are safe. The electron beam facilities, like the one at Iowa State University, use an electron generator to produce a stream of high-energy electrons to form the electron beam. E-beam technology has been used for the last 15 years.