Small Group Pickets Irvine Supermarket Making Test Sales of Irradiated Papayas

A small group of people opposed to the irradiation of food protested Sunday outside an Albertson’s supermarket in Irvine, where irradiated papayas were being sold to test consumer reaction.

The papayas had been exposed to gamma rays to destroy any possible fruit fly infestation. The process has been approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration. On other food, irradiation is believed to extend shelf life.

But a spokesman for the Los Angeles chapter of the National Coalition to Stop Food Irradiation said tests have not proved that irradiated food is safe for human consumption.

Paul Sundmark said in a telephone interview Sunday that irradiation depletes vitamins, alters the basic chemical structure of the food and produces new chemical elements in the food. The FDA’s approval was based on arbitrary standards, he said.

Animals fed irradiated food have developed tumors and suffered kidney damage, according to a flyer distributed by protesters at the market on Campus Drive. In addition, a short-term study of children in India who were fed irradiated wheat showed they developed chromosome damage, the flyer said.

The Albertson’s manager did not return phone calls from The Times.

‘Completely Safe’

However, United Press International reported that representatives of the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Assn., which favors irradiation, said the fruit “is completely safe.”

Sundmark’s group claims the current method of treating fruit--dipping it in a hot water solution--is safe and effective. But growers say the present treatment method adversely affects the fruit’s flavor and texture.

Organizers say the future of the $25-million papaya industry is at stake. A papaya shipment was blocked earlier this month when it was found to contain fruit fly larvae. California agriculture officials have said that they would consider banning all shipments of the fruit to prevent any spread of the pest if more flies or larvae are discovered.

The test at the Irvine store is only the second time that irradiated fruit has been sold commercially in the United States. Irradiated mangoes were sold in Florida in September. The test was set up by Management Associates of Irvine, which had kept the location and time of the sale secret, but opponents of irradiation found out about the test and protested outside the store.

“It came as a total surprise that a big food chain picked it up because most of them have a wait-and-see attitude,” Sundmark said. “We expected it to be an independent market.”

Sundmark said irradiated produce must be labeled, although that requirement will be dropped in 1988.

In addition to concerns about health effects, Sundmark said his group opposes irradiation because the process uses a waste product of nuclear fuel production. Increased food irradiation is being promoted by the nuclear energy industry, he said.