and now the Chicago Tribune . JK
STAMPEDE INTO BEEF IRRADIATION IS UNLIKELY
OBSTACLES REMAIN, DESPITE FDA APPROVAL
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday gave meat processors permission
to use nuclear radiation on beef, but don't look for irradiated beef in your
grocer's meat cooler any time soon.
The FDA has been considering the issue for three years, and action came
after the Clinton administration and Congress felt increased public pressure
to ensure the purity of the nation's meat supply in the wake of this summer's
recall of 25 million pounds of beef from Hudson Foods Inc.
The industry still has several hurdles to clear before it uses cobalt,
cesium or linear accelerators to zap beef to kill contaminants, industry
experts said.
"Getting FDA approval is a positive step, but now the Department of
Agriculture must adopt regulations to use irradiation at the plant level,"
said Bryan Salvage, an executive with the Chicago-based Marketing & Technology
Group Inc., which publishes three meat industry magazines.
"I hope the USDA doesn't take three years to establish its guidelines," he
said. "Also lacking is the technology right now to irradiate beef in existing
plants. There are questions whether its possible to irradiate meat at the line
speeds the beef industry has established."
Even though the FDA approved the treatment for pork in 1986 and for poultry
in 1990, finding irradiated chickens and pork chops in supermarkets is next to
impossible.
Irradiation, however, is common in a variety of non-food products. Tampons,
cosmetics, adhesive bandages and contact lens cleaning solutions often are
treated with radiation to kill all microbial contamination.
Although irradiation's power to sterilize is unquestioned, consumer
apprehension over its application on foods has kept the technology mostly in
the background in the three decades since the FDA first approved its use to
treat wheat and wheat flour.
As public concern over meat safety has grown, some large processors, led by
Minneapolis-based Cargill Inc., have developed a steam pasteurization
treatment to kill bacteria on beef carcasses.
Another sterilization treatment using ozone, a highly reactive form of
oxygen, is being promoted by the nation's electric utilities, which appreciate
the fact that ozone is produced by applying electrical current to regular
oxygen.
Advocates of such sterilization technologies argue that they are easier to
incorporate into traditional meat processing practices than irradiation, are
cheaper and don't promote consumer uneasiness.
The major pending question, say meat experts, is how consumer resistance to
irradiation will play against their fears of eating contaminated meat.
"The industry has come a long way in turning around consumer attitudes,"
Salvage said. "They've proven that educated consumers would be willing to buy
irradiated beef. But you can bet your boots the opposition will be more vocal
than ever on this issue."
Radiation's primary allure is as a so-called "kill step" that can be
applied after beef is completely processed. That is especially appealing now
that federal guidelines have zero tolerance for microbial contamination of
hamburger.
"Steam and ozone are fine, but if you want to guarantee you have zero
contamination to meet government guidelines, nothing beats irradiation," said
Richard Lechowich, director of the National Center for Food Safety and
Technology at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
"One reason you don't see much irradiation of pork and poultry is that
people don't typically eat them rare," Lechowich said.
"The idea of rare poultry or pork isn't appealing, so any pathogens in them
get cooked out. But many people, including myself, like rare beef.
"Another thing to consider is that the government doesn't have a zero
tolerance policy on bacteria in pork and poultry, but it does have one for
hamburger. Irradiation is the one thing we have that can meet a zero tolerance
standard."
Investors expressed their enthusiasm for irradiation by bidding up the
stock prices of companies providing irradiation services. Sterigenics
International Inc., Food Technology Service Inc. and Steris Corp. all rose
Tuesday in active trading. |
