The Hudson Foods recall of 25 million pounds of beef potentially contaminated with E.coli marked the largest food recall in history. This recall, in conjunction with congressional and presidential persuasion, motivated the FDA to approve beef irradiation within weeks of the passage of legislation aimed to expedite the process. But irradiating beef in an attempt to rid our food supply of bacteria fails to address the root causes of our food safety crises. The harmful effects this technology will have on human life and the environment remain largely unknown. In effect, beef irradiation's approval gave the industry permission to conduct a massive human experiment in the name of food safety.
Irradiation destroys essential vitamins and creates carcinogenic chemicals in food.
Existing irradiation facilities have poor safety records of contamination, spills, and dangerous human overexposures. Scientists, including the chair of the 1982 FDA irradiation committee, found the studies used to demonstrate irradiation's safety inadequate and flawed. Of course, government approval of this dangerous technology does not mean citizens will buy irradiated foods. With the results of a recent poll showing that 77 percent of the population won't eat irradiated food, we're confident the public will continue to reject the technology for actual use on the food supply. Packed with information about food irradiation's history in the U.S., the industrial food system and congressional games that led to its approval, and the citizen actions needed to prevent its use, this Primer was designed to do just that.