USDA Approves Irradiation of Meat to Kill Contaminants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday that it has approved irradiation of raw red meat as a way to curb food-borne illnesses caused by salmonella, E. coli and other contaminants.

But it cautioned that the technology alone should not be viewed as a panacea intended to replace careful food handling and preparation.

“I don’t want anybody fooled into thinking that this is some sort of magic bullet that will cure all of our food safety concerns because it won’t,” Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said in prepared remarks for a meeting of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn. in Charlotte, N.C. “It is one tool.”

Under the agency’s proposed rules, which are to be published in the Federal Register within 10 days, Glickman said producers using the technology would be required to label treated meats with a statement and a symbol. That way, he said, consumers would be able to choose.

It is far from clear how robust consumers’ appetite for irradiated meats will be. The technology has previously been approved for fruits, vegetables, pork, poultry and spices, but concerns about expense and shoppers’ qualms have limited its use. Only a small percentage of the nation’s food supply is irradiated.

Until they detect a strong demand, companies probably will be reluctant to invest in the technology. An irradiation plant with equipment would cost an estimated $10 million.

Still, a rash of product recalls and recent deaths have made consumers more aware of the dangers that can lurk in the food supply. In recent months, for example, listeria has been found in prepared meats and has been blamed for 16 deaths, prompting recalls.

The agency’s proposed rules could provide some impetus for a technology that, though proved to eradicate potentially dangerous bacteria, has met with tepid acceptance.

In December 1997, the Food and Drug Administration approved irradiation of fresh and frozen meats as a “food additive.” But producers cannot use the procedure until USDA rules are in place.

Once USDA’s proposed rules are published, there will be a 60-day comment period before the agency lays out final rules.

“Finally,” said Michael Osterholm, the state epidemiologist of the Minnesota Department of Health, who has long advocated irradiation as the simplest and best solution for many food safety problems. “We need to see industry embracing this and moving on it.”

The industry’s opinion so far has been mixed. IBP Inc., the nation’s leading beef supplier, “may eventually do some test-marketing of irradiated ground beef, but it really will be dependent on our customers,” said Gary Mickelson, a spokesman for the Dakota City, Neb., company. Meanwhile, he said, the company intends to focus on its “triple clean” system, using steam pasteurization cabinets and steam vacuuming along with carcass washes and sprays composed of microbe-killing acids.

Excel Corp., the nation’s second-largest beef producer, sounded more enthusiastic. “We would intend to move forward with treating some product, probably using electron beam,” said Mark Klein, a spokesman for the Cargill Inc. subsidiary in Wichita, Kan.

Irradiation is a simple process that involves bombarding foods with gamma rays, X-rays or electron beams. It is highly effective in killing harmful germs and parasites and has enthusiastic backing from doctors, cattle ranchers, dietitians and restaurateurs.

To date, however, the meat industry has yet to devise packaging that meets with FDA approval and allows for treatment while limiting any discoloration or bad odors.

Irradiated meats would probably sell for a few cents more a pound than untreated products and thus would be clearly labeled, Klein said. “We view it as a premium product, and we want that to be visible,” he said.

Consumer advocates, however, expressed fears that any statements and the irradiation symbol--a stylized flower known as a radura--could be relegated to inconspicuous locations on the back side of products.

“We’re concerned that [producers] would bury the news in small type,” said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety at the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington.