Meat Irradiation Wins FDA Approval—Finally
In August of 1994, Isomedix Inc. of Whippany, N. J. petitioned the FDA for approval of irradiation of nonfrozen red meats. On Dec. 2, more than three years later, the FDA has approved irradiation of meat products for controlling disease-causing microorganisms. The approval applies to fresh and frozen red meats such as beef, lamb and pork. (In the meantime, Isomedix was acquired by Steris Corp. for $142 million in September.)
The approval is based on the FDA's scientific review of a substantial number of studies conducted worldwide on the effect of irradiation on a wide variety of meat products. The studies included examination of the chemical effects of radiation, impact on nutrient content of irradiated products, potential toxicity concerns, and effects on microorganisms in or on irradiated products. The FDA concluded that irradiation is safe in reducing disease-causing microbes in or on meats, and that it does not compromise the nutritional quality of treated products.
"Irradiation of meat could prove to be another important tool to protect consumers from food-borne disease," said Michael Friedman, deputy FDA commissioner. "The process has been shown to be safe and to significantly reduce bacterial contamination." The U.S. Agriculture Department, which has authority over meat inspections, must first modify its regulations over the next few months to include irradiation, he said. "We've given the meat industry the clearance and confidence to make the investment in irradiation equipment if they want," Pauli said.
The safety and effectiveness of food irradiation has been extensively researched around the world, according to NFPA President and CEO John R. Cady. "Authoritative scientific bodies ranging from the World Health Organization to the American Medical Association, all agree with FDA that food irradiation presents no health risk,'' Cady said. "More than 35 countries have approved irradiation as a safe food treatment technology.''
Many would say that the action has been long in coming, having been debated for at least a decade (See Food Online Feature News Index for details). The Hudson Foods incident this past summer, in which 25 million lbs of processed meat had to be discarded after sickening some consumers, was a spur. That incident, in turn, led to the inclusion of legislation supporting food irradiation in the recently passed FDA reform law. Consumer advocates, having fought a delaying action for years, now emphasize that allowing irradiation should not give food processors license to lessen their sanitation procedures. "Irradiation is definitely being oversold as a solution to food safety problems by the food industry," Caroline Smith DeWaal of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (Washington, D.C.) told Reuters News. "It isn't the right approach to take a filthy product and irradiate it to make it sterile. We need to make sure that the filth is removed earlier in the process," DeWaal said.
The FDA has previously approved irradiation of poultry to control pathogens, of pork for control of the trichina parasite, of foods such as fruits, vegetables, and grains to control insects, and of spices, seasonings, and dry enzymes used in food processing to control microorganisms.
Dosage Varies by Application
When asked to comment on the FDA's approval, Martin Stein, president of Gray*Star, Inc., an irradiator manufacturer based in Mt. Arlington, N.J., said, "We're happy. Even though we knew this would eventually happen, it's nice now that it actually has." Stein was especially pleased with the FDA's position that irradiation was not to been seen as a replacement for proper food handling practices by producers, processors and consumers. "The most serious criticism we've been getting is that people somehow think that if processors use irradiation, they will no longer practice good sanitation," said Stein.
"Our dose, which is set by the FDA, is lower than international standards to handle the same pathogens. And that's one of the reasons—so that it won't be used as a substitute for good sanitation. But the lower dose has other advantages too—which is that at lower doses you don't have to worry as much about off flavors, appearance changes, or things of that kind."
Food to be irradiated passes through an enclosed chamber—an irradiator—where it is exposed to an ionizing energy source. The sources of ionizing energy may be gamma rays from cobalt-60 or cesium-137, x-rays, or electrons generated from machine sources. As proponents are weary of explaining, the short-wavelength gamma radiation does not start nuclear chain reactions or make the food radioactive. The gamma energy penetrates the food and its packaging but most of the energy simply passes through the food, leaving no residue. Some heating of the food occurs.
The duration of exposure to gamma energy, density of food, and amount of energy emitted by the irradiator determine the amount or dose of irradiation to which the food is exposed. Regulated doses are set at the minimum levels necessary to achieve specified purposes or benefits. Radiation doses allowed by the FDA are the most restrictive of all countries in which irradiation is being practices. Low doses (up to 1 kiloGray, or kGy) control the trichina parasite in fresh pork; inhibit maturation in fruits and vegetables; and control insects, mites, and other arthropod pests in food. Medium doses (up to 10 kGy) control bacteria in poultry, and high doses (above 10 kGy) control microorganisms in herbs, spices, teas, and other dried vegetable substances.
Gray*Star, Inc., Mt. Arlington Corporate Center, 200 Valley Rd., Mt. Arlington, NJ 07856 phone: (201) 398-3331
Isomedix Inc., 11 Apollo Drive, Whippany, NJ. Tel: 973-887-4700
By Pam Ahlberg