-Caveat Lector- (Maybe irradiation will help Tyson launder the profits from the drug smuggling operations in Arkansas? --SW) Tyson poultry to irradiate some foods to neutralize bacteria Copyright � 1999 Nando Media Copyright � 1999 Associated Press By CHUCK BARTELS LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (September 21, 1999 7:48 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - The nation's biggest poultry producer plans to test-market irradiated foods to consumers, joining a move to embrace a decades-old food safety process that astronauts have used but that has never been widely accepted on Earth. Tyson Foods Inc. said Monday it believes there is a market for irradiated food. It will sterilize its poultry from potentially harmful bacteria with a process that uses electron beams, rather than the other form or irradiation that relies on low-level doses of gamma rays. "We have come to the conclusion in our research and evaluation of consumer acceptance that now is the time to take this step," said Tyson spokesman Archie Schaffer III from the company's Springdale, Ark. headquarters. Tyson has contracted with San Diego-based Titan Corp., which will irradiate Tyson products at a facility in Sioux City, Iowa, set to open next month. Other food processors are to have meat irradiated at the facility as well, officials from both companies said. Tyson will be the first poultry company involved. Meatpacker giants IBP Inc. and Excel Corp. disclosed plans earlier this year to treat meat irradiated by Titan. Tyson and Titan are to spend the next several months developing packaging and labeling and testing products. Tyson said a market test could come early next year. Only a portion of Tyson products will be irradiated and they will be clearly labeled as such. Schaffer said the proportion and types of products have not been determined. In a statement, Tyson said it does not regard irradiation as a panacea for eliminating harmful bacteria from food and that consumers using its irradiated products will still have to handle the meat safely and make sure it is fully cooked. Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the group does not have any strenuous objection to the electron-beam method. "For consumers, irradiated foods are likely to contain many fewer bacteria and, potentially, no bacteria. It is safer from a microbiological standpoint than foods that have not been irradiated," DeWaal said. DeWaal said irradiation can result in some vitamin content being reduced but said that is of slim concern, assuming only a tiny portion of a person's diet is irradiated. The poultry industry would do better to make plants cleaner, rather than relying on irradiation to sanitize food on the back end of production, she said. Also, DeWaal said consumers want to know whether food has been irradiated. The government requires irradiated products be labeled. Tyson said it prefers informational labels rather than warning labels. Irradiation has been used for years on limited amounts of produce, spices, poultry and other foods. But only a few small retailers have offered irradiated products. On a space mission last year, John Glenn and his fellow astronauts ate irradiated food. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Steve Wingate California Director SKYWATCH INTERNATIONAL Anomalous Images and UFO Files http://www.anomalous-images.com DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
