The Nation - News from July 24, 1988

Syracuse University has issued a ban on serving irradiated foods on campus, a policy that is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation. Effective this month, the dining services at the New York school will not use, for either consumption or resale, any food, food product, ingredient, seasoning or spice that has been treated with or exposed to radiation. Irradiation uses gamma rays--derived from radioactive isotopes--to preserve food, kill insects on foods and kill food-borne bacteria, such as salmonella. Although the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of irradiated foods in 1986, some consumer groups contend that the long-term health effects remain unknown.