Apr 11, 2008 12:11 pm US/Pacific
Controversial Irradiation May Prevent Food Illness
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) ―
Potentially deadly germs continue to contaminate our food, sending hundreds of thousands of Americans to the hospital every year, a new report says.
Despite washing fruits and vegetables, the incidence of food poisoning from bacteria like E. coli and salmonella is rising.
To combat the potential for food poisoning, government scientists have made a controversial proposal: to irradiate fruits and vegetables, reports CBS station KPIX-TV in San Francisco.
USDA researchers say gamma rays could kill the pathogens inside lettuce and spinach leaves, reducing the level of E. coli by 99 percent.
"It kills the bacteria, makes it so that they're not able to reproduce and not able to make you sick," says USDA researcher Brendon Niemira.
The government says irradiation is safe, but critics argue that the rays may change the nutritional content of food.
The procedure has not yet been approved by the FDA, but even with a government OK, the public may still shy away from irradiated produce.
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