Safety and Cost of Foods Treated Through Irradiation

The Jan. 8 column about food irradiation by Drs. Jonathan Fielding and Valerie Ulene was flawed by inaccuracies and omissions:

It is not true that irradiated food is treated with “invisible light waves.” It is exposed to ionization radiation at doses high enough to kill a person 6,000 times over--the equivalent of 1 billion chest X-rays delivered in one shot.

It is not true that vitamin losses in irradiated food are “typically quite small.” Up to 80% of some vitamins and nutrients are destroyed when certain foods are exposed to radiation.

It is not true that irradiated food costs “2 to 3 cents” more per pound and irradiated meat “3 to 5 cents” more per pound than regular food. Some irradiated fruits and vegetables are double the price; irradiated ground beef costs between 25 and 75 cents more per pound.

Last but not least, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been unable to reproduce one research study conducted under modern conditions that demonstrates the safety of irradiated food.

--MARK WORTH

Senior Researcher,

Public Citizen

Washington, D.C.