Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uicsl!mather From: mather@uicsl.UUCP Newsgroups: net.cooks Subject: Re: irradiated food - (nf) Message-ID: <5813@uiucdcs.UUCP> Date: Wed, 22-Feb-84 22:44:47 EST Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.5813 Posted: Wed Feb 22 22:44:47 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 24-Feb-84 01:37:53 EST Lines: 23 #R:tekig1:-155000:uicsl:3800041:000:990 uicsl!mather Feb 22 10:47:00 1984 I saw on Good Morning America that the FDA has approved the irradiation of many foods (mostly fruits and vegetables). Irradiated food has been around for a long time in other countries, but the safety has been in question, until recently. The FDA has determined that irradiated food is safe to eat (probably SAFER!) and will not even require labels on the food saying that it has been irradiated. They showed an irradiated steak that was sealed in a metal pouch for months. It looked OK to me, but then I didn't taste it! My father (a PhD in food science) tells me that irradiated milk is also common, though less used in the United States (I don't know why, and didn't ask him. I think it has to do with wanting to keep some bacterium alive (the good guys) and killing the bad bacterium, but irradiation wipes out everything.) We are all sure to hear screams of 'cancer' from the public, no matter what results are published. It never fails. B.C.Mather uiucdcs!uicsl!mather