March 3, 2000. Copyright 2000. Graphic News. All rights reserved.

TO ZAP OR NOT TO ZAP?

LONDON, March 3, Graphic News: SHOPPERS reaching for the ground beef in Wal-MartÕs grocery stores will soon see a new label among the Ò85 percent lean,Ó Òorganic-grain fed,Ó and Òall-naturalÓ products. Packs of beef adorned with a strange green and white symbol that reads Òtreated with irradiationÓ mean that though this meat looks and tastes like any other variety, one feature will be different Ð this product is guaranteed to be significantly safer.

Retailing giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to start selling irradiated ground beef in America to determine if consumers want the product, and if so, how much of a premium they are willing to pay.

ÒIs that what the customer wants? WeÕll have the numbers soon to tell you,Ó said Colby Horn, product manager for Wal-MartÕs fast-growing chain of super stores that carry groceries as well as other goods.

Under new rules approved in February, packages of irradiated raw beef, pork and lamb must be clearly identified with the new international ÒraduraÓ label so grocery shoppers know what they are buying.

To its advocates irradiation is a major breakthrough in food safety, capable of zapping pathogens including listeria, salmonella and campylobacter, as well as the deadly Escherichia coli 0157.

E. coli can cause serious illness and sometimes death, especially in children and the elderly. Of an estimated 73,480 people infected every year in the U.S., about 600 cases are fatal.

Studies show that in the United States alone, there are 6.5 million confirmed cases of food poisoning and 9,100 deaths each year.

Irradiation, which exposes uncooked meat to tiny amounts of radiation, is done by three methods Ð gamma rays, X-rays, or high-energy electron beams. Irradiating substances using gamma rays is a surprisingly simple operation. A radioactive metal source such as cobalt-60 is kept in a water-filled pit which absorbs the radiation completely. Racks of the food to be irradiated are hung from a rail track around the top of the pit and the source is then raised out of the water for a set time. The racks move around the source on the track so that they are evenly irradiated on all sides.

Electron beam irradiation uses an electron gun which works in a similar way to a television set. It uses magnets to focus a ÒbeamÓ of electrons, but instead of scanning an image on to the front of the picture tube the electrons are accelerated to extraordinarily high speed, giving them sufficient energy to penetrate the surface of the food being processed.

Industrial irradiation really owes its birth to the medical industry. In the early sixties the trend was toward pre-packaged, pre-sterilized single-use medical devices, such as surgeonsÕ gloves, syringes and catheters. Because of the large volumes involved and the increasing use of plastic, conventional high-temperature steam autoclaves were unsuitable Ð sterilization by irradiation became the most effective treatment for the destruction of harmful organisms.

In the 1970s NASA adopted irradiation to sterilize food for astronauts and for more than a decade, many consumer products such as cosmetics, tissues, body creams and food containers like those for milk, yogurt, and fruit juice have been irradiated. Since 1986, itÕs been legal to irradiate spices, fruits, vegetables, and pork, with poultry added in 1991.

Some hospitals and nursing homes already serve irradiated chicken and pork to patients who have received organ transplants, or who have AIDS or cancer.

Fearing another consumer backlash following the Òmad-cowÓ disease and genetically modified foods furore, the U.S. food industry has been largely unresponsive Ð but following the 1997 recall of 2.5 million pounds (1 million kg) of E. coli contaminated ground beef and 1998 recall of 359,000 pounds (163,000kg) of beef, that is now changing. 

The reason is that no other method is as effective in killing micro-organisms. Radiation irreparably damages bacterial DNA and consequently prevents cells from reproducing. WhatÕs more, zapping meat and other foods extends supermarket shelf life and can be done after theyÕre packaged.

But some consumer and environmental groups arenÕt convinced, saying that irradiation is no substitute for good, clean slaughtering and food-processing practices.

Zapping food with radiation in the doses approved for food doesnÕt have enough energy to break apart an atom and consequently does not make food radioactive. It does, however, knock some electrons out of their orbits and break chemical bonds, forming chemicals known as Òunique radiolytic products.Ó These URPs include benzene and formaldehyde which are known carcinogens. Irradiation also destroys as much as 10 percent of vitamins A, B-1 (thiamine), E, and K as well as friendly bacteria and enzymes.

Food irradiation is gaining more and more attention around the world. About 170 cobalt-60 based irradiation plants exist worldwide and some 30 countries are actually applying the process commercially.

Belgium, France, Hungary, Japan, Netherlands and the former Soviet Union are irradiating grains, potatoes, onions, and considerable amounts of frozen seafoods. Electron beam irradiation of frozen poultry is carried out industrially in France. Irradiation is approved in the United Kingdom, but banned in Germany, following pressure from the Green Party.

Pilot projects are also under way in Argentina, Chile, China, Israel and South Africa, and Australian shoppers could soon find zapped foods on supermarket shelves following the lifting of a ten year moratorium on the process.

Wal-MartÕs Colby Horn said consumers would ultimately decide how much information retailers will provide about a particular food. 

ÒThe question is going to be, what do customers want to know,Ó he said. ÒThe customer is number one. Period.Ó

/ENDS 
Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Codex Alimentarius Commission, Iowa State University, WHO, Reuters, Associated Press