Sara Lee Corp. Health and consumer groups have reluctantly supported irradiation as a way to protect children, the elderly and others with weak immune systems. Some groups, however, have raised questions about worker safety and said they would prefer if the industry focused on improving processing conditions to further reduce contamination. Now, processors use a wide variety of procedures such as refrigeration and pasteurization to prevent contamination and keep foods fresh. The FDA, which has pledged to make food safety a priority, has 180 days to respond to the petition. A spokeswoman said Monday the agency had not yet received the petition and therefore could not comment.
Irradiation is used on a small portion of U.S. foods, mostly spices and some poultry products.
The U.S. Agriculture Department has not yet finalised rules that would allow irradiation of raw ground beef even though the FDA has approved it. The foods include refrigerated deli meats, frozen fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, sprouts, dried meats such as beef jerky and frozen, pre-cooked beef patties. Adding the procedure could increase the cost of food by two to five cents a pound, Applebaum said.