-Caveat Lector- WEEKLY FARM: Search for new way to say irradiation By PHILIP BRASHER The Associated Press 11/4/00 12:07 PM WASHINGTON (AP) -- Do consumers have a beef with having their meat irradiated? Lawmakers think so, and they blame it on irradiation, the word. They have told the Food and Drug Administration to consider allowing alternative terms for irradiation, such as "cold pasteurization," that meatpackers can use on labels. A spending bill that President Clinton recently signed into law directs the agency to come up with the wording by early 2002. The use of the word irradiation "clearly stirs some anxiety in some consumers," said Brian Folkerts, vice president of government affairs for the National Food Processors Association. "It's construed by some consumers as a warning." The Agriculture Department in February approved the use of irradiation to kill E. coli O157:H7 and other harmful bacteria in ground beef and other meat. Even before that approval, industry officials worried that consumers would balk at the term irradiation. Food is irradiated when it is exposed briefly to electrons, gamma rays or X-rays. The process does not raise the temperature of the food, hence the term "cold pasteurization." A leading advocate of alternative labeling is Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, whose state has a facility that treats ground beef with electron-beam radiation. The FDA requires labeling of irradiated products to indicate that they have been treated with irradiation. They also must bear a special symbol, known as the radura, which consists of green petals in a broken circle. At the direction of Congress, the agency proposed early last year to consider alternative language for the labels. The FDA has yet to act. The FDA is reviewing public comments as it considers the idea of different language on food labels. Consumer advocacy groups oppose any changes. "It's hard to continue to be supportive of irradiation when there is this continuing effort to hide it from the public," said Carol Tucker Foreman, director of the Consumer Federation of America's Food Policy Institute. "It undermines public confidence in a new technology." Industry officials say they want to make irradiated food sound less frightening to consumers. "The use of the term irradiation can be misleading," said Christine Bruhn, director of the Center for Consumer Research at the University of California-Davis. "They think perhaps it's radioactive." Bruhn recently received a grant from the Agriculture Department to devise programs to promote irradiation. She suggests that labels read something like this: "Treated with cold pasteurization (irradiation) for improved safety." Research by both the food industry and consumer advocacy groups has shown that shoppers want the term to appear on treated products. The studies have differed as to whether consumers prefer additional wording used in conjunction with what the FDA now allows. The vast majority of products now irradiated are spices, herbs and seasonings. Some irradiated fruits, vegetables and poultry also are available, along with treated ground beef, in Florida and the Midwest, according to a recent report by the General Accounting Office. The major buyers of irradiated products are health care and food service establishments that want to minimize the threat of foodborne illness. On the Net: Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov National Food Processors Association: http://www.nfpa-food.org Consumer Federation of America: http://www.consumerfed.org Copyright 2000 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: *Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions 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, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== 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
