irradiated meat

[Leigh Hauter]

This is from Public Citizen. I went into our local Giant this weekend and there it was in its little plastic box -irradiated ground meat, along with a brochure telling just how wholesome food is that has been 'cold pasteurized'.

Yum-yum.

Except the meat had a very strange color to it, though the brochure did assure me that the color of meat doesn't reflect its taste, nutrition of safety. I wasn't inclined to buy any of the stuff to see if their claims were true.

Public Citizen's fact sheet doesn't say it but one of the real reasons the meat industry is turning to irradiation (besides to increase shelf life) is to cover up the unsanitary nature of factory farms and their associated fast moving factory type slaughterhouses and processing plants.

(from Public Citizen)
Giant Food Inc. is the first supermarket chain in the DC area to carry irradiated ground beef. They attempt to calm consumer anxiety about irradiation, but despite their marketing claims, consumers should be wary.

Facts on Irradiation
** Irradiation exposes food to a dose of ionizing radiation that is equivalent to millions of chest x-rays.
** Irradiation destroys vitamins, essential fatty acids and other nutrients in food.
** Irradiation disrupts the chemical composition of everything - not just harmful bacteria. It creates chemicals called "radiolytic products" that do not occur naturally in food and that the FDA has never studied for safety.
** Research dating to the 1950s has revealed a wide range of problems in animals that ate irradiated food, including premature death, a rare form of cancer, stillbirths, genetic damage, organ malfunctions, low weight gain and vitamin deficiencies.
** Irradiation can kill most bacteria in food, but does not remove the feces and other filth that carries this bacteria, thereby masking and encouraging filthy conditions in slaughterhouses and food processing plants.

What Can You Do?
** Vote with your food dollars - don't buy irradiated ground beef!
** Write to Giant and tell them to stop carrying irradiated meat and keep imported irradiated fruits and vegetables off their shelves! (for a sample letter go to http://www.citizen.org/cmep/foodsafety/food_irrad/articles.cfm?ID=8367 )
** Call 888-4-MyGiant (DC, MD, VA) or 888-MySuperG (DE, NJ) to voice your views.
** Write a letter to the editor explaining the problems with irradiated food!
** Flyer at a local store to raise awareness in your community! (contact Public Citizen at 202-546-4996 for flyers)