SteriGenics International, Inc. Responds to USDA Announcement Regarding
The Use of Irradiation
PR Newswire - February 12, 1999 15:52
FREMONT, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- SteriGenics International, Inc.
(Nasdaq: STER) commented today on the United States Department of
Agriculture's (USDA) proposed ruling regarding the use of radiation for the purpose of treating red meat products. According to the USDA, the draft guidelines governing the commercial use of radiation for the
purpose of treating refrigerated or frozen uncooked meat and some meat
products, will be published in the Federal Register within 10 days,
after which there will be a sixty-day public comment period <b/>-- the
minimum allowed under Federal rule. The irradiation of red meat,
approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in
December 1997, is a cold pasteurization process by which harmful
bacteria, such as E. coli O157:H7, listeria, salmonella, and
campylobacter, are eliminated.
"The Government's approval of irradiation is a significant milestone in
our nation's quest for safe food," stated James F. Clouser, President
and CEO. "Irradiation has been one of the most thoroughly studied food
treatments in history. It has undergone more than 40 years of scientific
and medical research and has been used safely for decades. The subject
of food irradiation is not a controversy in science. No group of
scientists or health care professionals has ever looked at the topic of
food irradiation and concluded that it was anything but safe."
As with other treatment processes, however, SteriGenics maintains that
irradiation is but one tool available to the food industry to fight
against harmful bacteria and food-borne pathogens. "The pasteurization
of red meat is analogous to the sterilization of medical devices," saidD. Patterson Adams, President of the Advanced Applications Division. "As is true for the sterilization of medical products, irradiation pasteurization is most effective when used in combination with other measures employed to reduce and control food contamination. By working closely with our customers,
Once the 10 days up ie tomorrow the 60 day wait will be in effect. with this new ruling the market will open up for Ster and the crowds will swoop in. Now is the time to be in the stock not once the media gets into the frenzy |
