Recently the FDA announced that spinach and lettuce sold in the United States will be allowed to be irradiated. Knowing what irradiation is and does to food I was a bit angry but unfortunately not surprised by the decision. I've summarized some information about irradiation to provide an overview about the process and what it means to us and our food. While I was researching more about the topic I was surprised to learn just how much of our food can actually legally be irradiated already and was disappointed to read that consumers looking to avoid irradiated food can have a hard time doing so because of current labeling requirements.

What is Irradiation?

Very simply stated on Wikipedia, “Irradiation is the process by which an item is exposed to radiation.” The type of radiation used to kill bacteria and other organisms on food is ionizing radiation which according to Wikipedia “consists of highly-energetic particles or waves that can detach (ionize) at least one electron from an atom or molecule.”

What are the Problems with Irradiation?

According to the Organic Consumer's Association irradiation does the following:

“Irradiation damages food by breaking up molecules and creating free radicals. The free radicals kill some bacteria, but not all! The free radicals bounce around in the food, damage vitamins and enzymes, and combine with existing chemicals (like pesticides) in the food to form new chemicals, called unique radiolytic products (URPs).”

“Irradiated foods lose 5%-80% of vitamins A, C, E, K or B complex.”

“Like cooking, irradiation damages the enzymes found in raw foods. This means our bodies must work harder to digest them.”

“Studies on animals fed irradiated foods have shown increased tumors, reproductive failures and kidney damage. Some possible causes are: irradiation-induced vitamin deficiencies, the inactivity of enzymes in the food, DNA damage, and toxic radiolytic products in the food.”

These are only some of the issues related to irradiation, other issues include the lack of liability it places on food growers to actually produce quality food, without agents like feces coming into contact with fresh produce. Also, the testing that has been done in human studies in insufficient to determine the longer term effects of eating food treated with radiation.

If you think all this sounds scary what until you read below for information concerning what foods can be irradiated in the United States.

What Foods Can be Irradiated?

Again from the Organic Consumer's Association I found the following list of food that can be legally irradiated in the United States:

“1963: wheat flour
1964: white potatoes
1986: spices, herbs, herb teas, pork, fruits and vegetables
1992: poultry
1997: beef
1999: Refrigerated or frozen raw beef, pork, lamb, and poultry.
2000: eggs in the shell, seeds for sprouting (like alfalfa)
2002: Imported fruits and vegetables
2002: Meat purchased by the National School Lunch Program”
I'm not sure if the average consumer is even aware that a large amount of the food he or she is eating has possibly been irradiated. I was really surprised that so much food was already legally allowed to be irradiated.

How do I Know if Food has Been Irradiated?

Currently there are labeling requires for food that has been irradiated, foods must have some wording on them indicating they have been irradiated and the symbol for irradiated food on it (see below).

However, there is a catch to the labeling requirements, they extend to the first purchaser, so this may or may not be you! For example, you will have a hard time determining if the food you are eating at restaurants has been irradiated. When you go shopping you should technically see something indicated the food has been irradiated if you are purchasing whole foods in their package or somewhere on a display or box if you are buying whole foods without packaging such as loose fruit and un-packaged meat from a butcher.

If you are eating processed foods there is no real way to tell if the food has irradiated ingredients in it because currently the FDA does not require the labeling of food ingredients to state whether or not they have been irradiated. For example, if you are eating a pre-made pasta bowl with spinach as an ingredient, that spinach may or may not have been irradiated, the company is not required to tell you on the package. Of course there are companies that will state directly on their labels that the food contains no irradiated ingredients and if you are looking to eat processed foods and wish to avoid irradiated ingredients buying from reputable natural health companies that make this statement may be your best bet. Although, you should always fully research a company and get a feel for its dedication to life before you make any decisions regarding the company's claims.

Here is a list of foods that DO NOT require any labeling to indicate whether or not they have been irradiated:

“Multiple ingredient products where some, but not all of the individual ingredients were irradiated.

Irradiated ingredients in foods prepared or served by restaurants, salad bars, hotels, airlines, hospitals, schools, nursing homes, etc.

Irradiated foods prepared by delis or supermarket take-out counters.

Spices and herb teas

Sprouts grown from irradiated seeds

Ingredients in supplements

Plant-food ingredients that are processed again (like apples in applesauce or papaya in a salad-bar salad).”

A good thing to know is that organic foods cannot be irradiated, so if you are consuming organic foods take heart knowing that you are not eating irradiated foods. However, make sure the food you are eating is actually organic. There are a lot of products that are “Made with Organic Corn” or “Make with Organic Tomatoes” but if you look at the list of ingredients the only organic ingredient might be that corn or tomato.

If you are very concerned about the irradiation of your food (and you should be!) I suggest eating as much whole organic food as possible and avoid processed and non-organic foods.

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irradiation

http://www.organicconsumers.org/irradlink.cfm