The Detroit News. Ground beef that's been zapped to kill deadly bacteria could start showing up in supermarkets next month. New rules that allow the irradiation of raw beef, pork and lamb take effect Tuesday. To its advocates, irradiation could be one of the biggest advancements in food safety since the pasteurization of milk. The question is whether consumers want it.
Most people are ready.
Most meat packers intend to start small, testing irradiated ground beef in select markets to see how it sells. A Florida processor, Colorado Boxed Beef Co., is expected to be the first to test the market, through grocery chains in the Southeast. The company had to recall 359,000 pounds of beef products in November 1998 because of possible contamination with the deadly E. coli bacteria, and Florida officials have been promoting irradiation heavily. Initially, irradiated meat is likely to be most popular with hospitals and nursing homes, because of the danger E. coli poses to patients with weakened immune systems. But its use there could generate interest from consumers, said Tim Willard, a spokesman for the National Food Processors Association.