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Irradiated meats safer for consumer well-being
Wednesday, December 29, 1999
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
There is sure to be some hue and cry about the green light given to irradiate meat. But such hoohah should not obscure the fact that this policy is good for the public health.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says tests have shown that irradiating meat can virtually eliminate such hazards as the deadly E. coli O157:H7 bacteria in raw meat as well as significantly reduce other pathogens such as listeria, salmonella and campylobacter. "While there is no single silver bullet to cure all food safety problems, irradiation has been shown both to be safe and effective," Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said in announcing the new policy.
Consumers will be able to tell whether they are buying irradiated meat. The international "radura" symbol must be used on the packaging. It is green on a white background.
Carol Tucker Foreman, a distinguished fellow with the Consumers Federation of America, believes that hospitals and nursing homes may be the first to begin using irradiated meat. Such institutions, she says, often care for people with weakened immune systems and therefore are vulnerable to the dangers posed by E. coli.
Such an implied endorsement by hospitals and nursing homes might accelerate acceptance of irradiated meat in the broader marketplace.
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