Twenty-five percent said they'd be willing to pay a premium for it. The Agriculture Department and the Food and Drug Administration are expected to decide in the next two months whether to allow the process to be used on sandwich meats, hot dogs and similar products. So far, very little meat has been irradiated, largely because of concerns in the food industry about consumer reaction. The vast majority of products that are currently irradiated are spices, herbs and seasonings. In addition to the term irradiation, labels also must bear a special symbol, known as the radura, which consists of green petals in a broken circle.
Food is irradiated when it is exposed briefly to electrons, gamma rays or X-rays.
Milk and some other food products are pasteurized through a heating process that kills bacteria. It's a matter of whether enough education can be given to the consumer.