Is Food Irradiation a Good Idea?Is food irradiation necessary? Increasingly, the media is presenting stories about fresh vegetables being contaminated with E. coli or Salmonella, warning the public about eating fresh produce and causing economic difficulties for those involved in the growing and selling of fruits and vegetables. What does this radiation process have to do with contaminated tomatoes? According to Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, the FDA is using these ongoing food safety scares to advance its food irradiation agenda. You see, the fruits and vegetables themselves are so healthful, but they get contaminated by runoff from big factory farms housing thousands of poor animals. If the FDA went after the giant factory farms—the powerful meat industry—there would be political hell to pay. What Does Food Irradiation Do to Foods?Exposing food to ionizing radiation destroys microorganisms, bacteria (including good bacteria), viruses, or insects that might be present in the food.Chemical changes occur as a result of the large amounts of energy contained in ionizing radiation, including the production of carcinogenic or mutagenic substances that were not present before the food was irradiated. The irradiating process can also change the nutritional value, flavor, texture and color of food. For example, it destroys niacin and vitamins in eggs. What are the Long-Term Health Effects?How this will affect people in years to come is not known yet. However, studies have shown:
What Should Consumers Do?If you have the option, eat locally grown fruits and vegetables, preferably organic.You’ll be supporting the local economy and getting the freshest, most nutrition-filled produce available, outside of growing your own. Don’t be afraid of fresh fruits and vegetables. If the FDA gets its way and all fresh produce is irradiated in the future, many of the healthy benefits of fruits and vegetables will be destroyed. If people are afraid to eat fresh whole food, they’ll turn more to the disease-causing, processed, dead foods that fill supermarket shelves. Return to
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