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FDA OKs Irradiation For Spinach, Lettuce

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The New York Times

Published: August 22, 2008

WASHINGTON - The government will allow food producers to zap fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce with enough radiation to kill micro-organisms such as E. coli and salmonella that cause illness among consumers.

It is the first time that the Food and Drug Administration has allowed any produce to be irradiated at levels needed to protect against illness.

"This is probably one of the single most significant food safety actions done for fresh produce in many years," said Robert Brackett, chief scientist for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which petitioned the agency in 2000 to allow manufacturers to irradiate a wide variety of foods.

Food safety advocates condemned the government decision and asserted that irradiation can lower nutritional value, create unsafe chemicals and ruin taste.

"It's a total cop-out," said Patty Lovera, assistant director of Food and Water Watch. "They don't have the resources, the authority or the political will to really protect consumers from unsafe food."

Laura Tarantino, director of the FDA's office of food additive safety, said the agency found no serious nutritional or safety changes associated with irradiation of spinach or lettuce.

"These irradiated foods are not less safe than others, and the doses are effective in reducing the level of disease-causing micro-organisms," she said.

The government has long allowed food processors to irradiate beef, eggs, poultry, oysters and spices, but the market for irradiated foods is tiny because the government also requires that these foods be labeled as irradiated, labels that scare away most consumers.

"People think the product is radioactive," said Harlan Clemmons, president of Sadex, a food irradiation company based in Sioux City, Iowa.

But the FDA is considering a proposal to change this labeling requirement.

Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, opposes weakening the present labeling rules.

Advocates for irradiation say the technology can help reduce the burden of illness and the number of outbreaks.

But critics say that not only does radiation make food less nutritious and potentially toxic, but that the process does not eliminate the risks of food-borne illnesses.

An analysis by the Centers for Science in the Public Interest found that most outbreaks associated with salad and lettuce are caused by viruses, which are not affected by the doses of radiation approved by the FDA.

Indeed, food safety advocates, food producers and even farm groups agree that the government should mandate the use of certain agricultural and processing practices that would limit the risk of all food-borne illnesses and increase the speed with which outbreaks are traced to sources.

"The agency is choosing to have a high-tech expensive solution to a problem that needs a more thorough approach and one that really starts on the farm," said Smith DeWaal.

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