Comments about ‘Irradiation a useful tool in promoting food safety’

I have also experienced the effects of tainted food when my mother-in-law died a brutally horrible death from eating spinach in September 2006 that contained E Coli 0157:H7.

I fully support irradiation in the hope that no one ever has to go through what I watched my mother-in-law go through for 12 long days as her life came to an end after being eaten alive by E Coli.

It's understandable that people fear the unknown and have concerns regarding the effects of irradiation, especially when you have not had first hand experience with the effects of the bacteria that is being destroyed. Ill take my chances with irradiation.

Good column, Marjorie. Way to speak up for common sense.

Having gone through a bout with food poisoning in early June I am 100% in favor of irradiation and wish that it was already being done on a large scale. I grew up on a grade A dairy farm. Even though the milk would be pasteurized effectively killing food borne bacteria, the milking operations were still monitored and inspected very carefully in order to maintain safe and low bacteria counts. Actually the raw milk was safe "almost" most of the time, but then who wants to take the chance?

Meat and other food products can be kept at safe levels "almost" all of the time, but who wants to take the chance? Irradiation is no more harmful to the product or the person eating it than is pasteurization. Still, though there are folks that would rather take a chance with raw milk, believing that it is better for them than pasteurized milk. Russian roulette is harmless "most" of the time.

One good dose of E Coli or salmonella, I believe, would cure even the most ardent opponent of irradiation of most uncooked foods. Don't forget the tomatoes & peppers. I think that is what got me.

Marjorie, although your column may seem like a common sense positive, you should have done some homework first. There are several very valid concerns about irradiated food.

First -- failures (or at least unnecessary laxity) in contamination precautions are the leading cause for commercial food-borne illness outbreaks -- meat (hamburger) and vegetable. Suggesting food is safe because of irradiation will only allow more fecal material to end up in commercial food. Yummy.

Second -- The current most common causes of leafy vegetable food illnesses are caused by viruses which are not necessarily killed by this irradiation.

Third -- This powerful radiation alters the bonding of elements one to another in molecules. This is what is known as "ionizing" radiation and it creates unstable "free radicals." Some of these altered molecular products produced may be toxic in the long term, or even carcinogenic.

Food eaten provides us with water and minerals which are probably not significantly altered. Smaller molecule groups like amino acids (some of which the human body cannot manufacture) may be significantly altered. Very large absolutely essential molecules like vitamins may be so altered they are ineffective.

Please educate the public, don't pontificate from a base of ignorance.

Irradiation will do for ground beef and poultry what pasteurization did for milk. Your column is timely and appropriate. Thanks for speaking up and please continue to do so.

Irradiation is supported or endorsed by virtually every medical and scientific organization in the world. No food preservation technology has been more thoroughly researched, yet like any technology there are critics. We live in a free society with lots of choices, however the safety of our food supply and the health of our children must not be held hostage by false and misleading claims of anti-technology advocates. Those who believe the world is flat have a right to their opinion but not to their own set of "facts". I believe what scientists and physicians tell us and choose to ignore the naysayers.

Irradiated ground beef has been in the market for nearly a decade. Omaha Steaks and Schwan's proudly offer their customers irradiated ground beef as does Wegman's and Publix supermarkets on the East Coast. Irradiation is used for disinfestation of papaya, guavas, mangoes, mangosteens and other produce coming to the US mainland from Hawaii, India and Thailand. Leading supermarkets carry irradiated produce already, hopefully more will in the future.