October, 2004

by Rose Marie Williams

   Last October this column discussed the governments plan to serve irradiated ground beef to the nations school children.  In 2001, the Bush Administration proposed serving irradiated poultry and ground beef in school lunches, but a huge negative response from the public caused the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ban irradiated foods from the federal School Lunch Program which serves approximately 27 million children.

    The following year, the ban was overturned by an obscure provision authored by Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) in the May 2002 Farm Bill.  The Harkin provision allowed irradiated beef to officially enter the nations School Lunch Program in place of testing for bacterial contamination.  The public did not let this pass unnoticed and forced the USDA to extend the usual 30 day comment period indefinitely.  The overwhelming number of comments was against serving irradiated beef to school children.

    The decision to introduce ground beef into the School Lunch Program was controversial from the beginning.  The federal government sided with industry over parental objections.  The government received more than 5,000 comments regarding this issue with 93% opposed to serving irradiated beef to school children.  

Some Schools Ban Irradiated Food

    Some school districts reacted quickly to officially ban the purchasing or serving of irradiated beef to their students.  Berkeley (CA) was the first school district to officially pass its own resolution banning the purchase of irradiated foods for its students, followed in February 2003 by the Point Arene (CA) school district.  The Los Angeles (CA) school district with 677 schools and 721,000 students is the nations largest school district.  They wasted no time in drafting their own ban against serving irradiated beef to their students.  The San Francisco (CA) School Board banned irradiated foods in April 2004.  California is leading the country with individual school districts enacting their own bans on the purchase of, and serving irradiated ground beef in their cafeterias.1

   In February 2004 the Morris (NY) Central School District passed its own policy to ban irradiated food from its school lunches.  In May 2004 the District of Columbia (Washington, DC) school officials joined the growing number of school districts to ban irradiated food from being served to their students.2

    Some states, like New York, decided not to purchase any irradiated beef even before individual school districts enacted their own bans.  Other states are carefully weighing public reaction before deciding to order irradiated beef. 

    Under the Harkin provision parents, students, and school personnel would not have known if irradiated beef was being served in their school without making specific inquiries to the school board or purchasing agent.  The federal labeling regulations only required labels on food sold in grocery stores.  Labeling was not required on irradiated foods served in schools, hospitals, and restaurants. 

   The 2002 farm bill recommended the USDA "consider" using irradiated ground beef in the School Lunch Program, but allowed the agency to choose whether to use it, or not use it.  The choice was also left to individual school districts whether to purchase it or not.  p. 2  RM Wms

    Irradiation advocates claim 200 mostly smaller school districts from the Midwest and parochial schools have decided to purchase irradiated ground beef for the new school year.  One motivating factor might be due to the multi-million dollar penalties against school districts where food poisoning outbreaks occurred.  However, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicates a decline in outbreaks from food-borne diseases after the Agricultural Department ordered stricter inspections of meat packing plants.3

Child Nutrition Act Passed

Lawmakers listened to constituents concerns and in June 2004 the "Child Nutrition Act" was passed to address the issue of serving irradiated beef in the nations School Lunch Program.  The bill provides that

-         the USDA cannot mandate serving irradiated food, but can only make it available at the request of state and local school districts;

-         the higher cost of irradiated food cannot be subsidized by the federal government (to encourage its use);

-         factual information on irradiation, including notice that irradiation is not a substitute for safe food handling will be required to be provided to state and school food authorities;

-         irradiated foods distributed to federal meal programs must be labeled as irradiated (ensuring that school food service employees know that the food is irradiated, even though the school is not required to pass the labeling on to students;

-         co-mingling of irradiated food with non-irradiated food will be prohibited;

-         schools serving irradiated foods are encouraged to offer a non-irradiated

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-         alternative.4

Pros and Cons of Irradiation

    Proponents of food irradiation claim it will benefit public health by reducing the risk of food-borne diseases. Irradiation destroys E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella and other pathogens sometimes found in ground beef.  Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has come out in favor of meat irradiation, it has been rejected by the European Parliament, which continues to limit irradiation only for spices, dried herbs, and seasonings.5,6

    Supporters believe irradiation will do for ground beef what pasteurization did for milk.  Pasteurization destroys bacteria, but it also destroys the natural enzymes.  Whole food enthusiasts and many holistic practitioners believe unpasteurized milk is a more nutritious food.3

    The April 29 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine carried an article encouraging physicians and health professionals to advocate food irradiation, including serving irradiated beef in school lunch programs.  Michael Osterholm, one of the articles co-authors, receives funding from two of the three major irradiation companies for his research center.7

     Opponents of meat irradiation raise some very good arguments.  It is believed irradiation is being promoted by the meat industry to cover up unsanitary practices at meat processing plants, where improved sanitation and proper handling of meat products would do much to reduce contamination at the source.7

    For the nuclear industry and the US Department of Energy (DOE), irradiation technology provides an excellent commercial market for recycling nuclear waste material.  Increasing the number of irradiation facilities would likewise increase health risks to workers and residents.  Transporting radioactive waste products increases the potential for accidents on public highways.

    Terrorism cannot be ignored either.  The Energy Department has been criticized for weak security at nuclear plants due to insufficient training of guards, and for cutting back the number of guards on duty.  Building more irradiation facilities will only add to our countrys security problems.  Is it no wonder opponents prefer to avoid the multiple risk

factors of irradiation by improving the sanitary conditions at meat packing plants?8

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What Irradiation Does To Food  

Ionizing radiation reduces the number of disease causing organisms in food by disrupting their molecular structure, thereby killing potentially harmful bacteria and parasites.  But not all pathogens are destroyed, and irradiated meat must be cooked as thoroughly as non-irradiated meat.  Irradiated meat can be re-contaminated from improper handling and storage.

    Irradiated food does not itself, become radioactive, but the ionizing radiation creates new radiolytic chemicals implicated as carcinogens, while destroying the vitamins A, B complex, C and E.  It increases the trans fatty acids in meat, which have been linked to higher levels of "bad cholesterol."  The watchdog organization, Public Citizen, indicates research has found a wide range of health problems in laboratory rats fed irradiated food, including genetic damage and cancer.  Additional research shows that cyclobutanones, a new class of chemicals created by irradiation, cause genetic damage to human cells.2,9

    As for flavor, Consumer Reports trained tasters noted a slight, but distinct off-taste and smell in most of the irradiated beef sampled, likening it to singed hair."6

An Experiment on Children

    The federal government has recently acknowledged the unique vulnerability of children as more likely than adults to get cancer from exposure to toxic chemicals, and has drawn up new guidelines for the US Environmental Agency (EPA) to evaluate dangers posed by pesticides and other cancer-causing chemicals.  But the entire issue of irradiation destroying nutrient content of food, while creating a whole new class of chemicals that cause cancer and genetic damage is being completely ignored by all three federal regulatory agencies the EPA, USDA, and FDA.   Opponents to irradiation believe this is an unprecedented and dangerous experiment on the nations children.5      

Consumer Action

   There are several public advisory groups available to assist parents and health advocates who wish to take action in their own school districts.  Public Citizens Patty Lovera can be reached at plovera@citizen.org or 202-454-5132.  Ann Caton from the Youth Education Alliance can be reached at 202- 498-7075.  Organizing kits are available from www.safelunch.org.  Additional information about irradiated food can be found at: www.foodandwater.com, www.purefood.org, www.organicconsumers.org, and Nukewatch, PO Box 649, Luck, WI 54853, or nukewatch@lakelandws.ws. 

References

1. "OCA Debates Food Irradiation Proponents," http://www.organicconsumers.org/irrad/debate051004.cfm, 7/29/04.
2. Mikhail, M., Caton, A., "DC School Board Bans Irradiated Food from School Lunch Program," Public Citizen & Youth Education Alliance, ehartman@citizen.org, 5/20/04.
3. Gay, L., "200 schools this fall will serve irradiated meat for lunch," Scripps Howard News Service, www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=IRRADIATION-07-15-04&cat=WW, 7/19/04.
4. Lovera, P., "Child Nutrition Victory!" plovera@citizen.org, 6/24/04.

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5. Williams, R., "Irradiated Food in School Lunches," TLDP # 243, Oct. 2004.
6. Williams, R., "Irradiated Food Controversy," TLDP # 244, Nov. 2004.
7. Hauter, W., "New England Journal of Medicine Article on Food Irradiation Ignores Scientific Uncertainty," Public Citizens Critical Mass Energy & Environmental Program, http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=1702.
8. Smirnow, B., "Government Cant Guarantee Nuke Weapons Plants Safety From Terrorists," smimowb@ix.netcom.com, 3/17/04.
9. Slabaugh, S., "Irradiated ground beef OKd by School," The Star Press, East Central Indiana, http://www.thestarpress.com/articles/2/002436-9102-004.html, 7/31/03.

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