Highly publicized cases of foodborne illness have heightened consumer awareness of the importance of food safety and cleanliness. But there remains a good deal of confusion. For example, you may have heard that some foods are irradiated to make them safer, but not understood what that means.
Food irradiation is a technology that can add an extra measure of safety to foods.
Although irradiated foods are just beginning to be available in US supermarkets, food irradiation is not a new technology. It has been researched for more than 50 years and approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a safe treatment for certain foods.