FMI is a non-profit association that conducts programs in research, education, industry relations and public affairs on behalf of its 1,500 members and their subsidiaries. Our membership includes food retailers and wholesalers, as well as their customers, in the United States and around the world. FMI's retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, small regional firms, and independent supermarkets. Our international membership includes 200 members from 60 countries. To Amend Its Regulations Quickly To Permit the Use of Irradiation To Reduce Foodborne Pathogens in Meat Bacteria and other microorganisms are believed to cause a large and growing number of foodborne illnesses each year.
Irradiation is an effective tool for reducing or eliminating foodborne bacteria and other organisms.
See 64 Fed. Its use, therefore, provides a significant and substantial opportunity to improve food safety and the public health. The use of irradiation to treat food products is safe. At least 39 countries use commercial irradiation to treat a wide variety of food products. FDA determined that irradiation would not present a toxicological or microbiological hazard or adversely affect the nutritional adequacy of the food.