The quality and nutrition of a tomato grown in Brazil and irradiated at 1 kilogray, which is the equivalent ionizing radiation of 33 million chest x-rays, is the same as the fresh and nutritious tomato you will find at your local farmers' market. In the future, I want my grandchildren to eat hamburger produced in a country like Brazil, and irradiated at 7 kilogray, which is the equivalent of 233 million chest x-rays. It does not bother me that once this Brazilian meat reaches the U.S., it is mixed with tissue collected through chemical and mechanical deboning to increase its weight and that it likely contains spinal cord material. Like most Americans, I see that many of you are uncomfortable about some aspects of irradiation. Even though many classes of food have been eligible for irradiation for a long time, the technology has never taken off.
People are smart and most people want fresh food.
Their common sense response is that irradiation can't be good. In numerous polls sponsored by the food industry, the mainstream media and consumer organizations, people have said they don't want to eat irradiated food, and that at the very least it should be labeled. More and more people are calling and saying they don't want to eat this stuff. The answer is that it increases shelf life and thus increases corporate profits as our food system becomes more globalized. Second, it sterilizes the filth left on food as a result of the fast-moving slaughter lines that also increase the profitability of the meat industry.