Colorado State University Extension
SafeFood Rapid Response Network
SAFEFOOD NEWS - Fall 1997 - Vol 2 no 1
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Associations Call for Irradiation of Meat
Note: Professional organizations historically have been more enamored with irradiation than has the consuming public. E. coli 0157:H7 has reopened the debate as evidenced in the following press release issued by the National Food Processors Association.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 1997/PRNewswire/ -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should act now to help prevent future recalls of meat products by approving a three-year-old petition that would permit irradiation of red meat, said John Cady, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Food Processors Association (NFPA).
Cady responded to the presence of Dr. Michael Friedman, FDA's Acting Commissioner, with Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman at an August 29 news conference seeking expanded enforcement authority, by stating that "additional enforcement does not equal better food safety." In a letter to Acting Commissioner Friedman, Cady said, "Instead of requesting a massive expansion of government power to mandate a recall, the FDA could prevent far more recalls by making irradiation available to meat processors now." "NFPA has long held that irradiation is a proven technology for enhancing the safety of our food supply," Cady added.
Pending before the Food and Drug Administration is a petition that was filed with FDA on July 7, 1994, that would permit the use of irradiation for purposes of reduction of parasites and microbial pathogens, and extension of shelf life. "The six- month statutory deadline for consideration of the petition has long since passed," Cady said. "The petition would permit the use of irradiation to accomplish what no mandatory recall authority can achieve: a reduction in parasites and microbial pathogens, such as E. coli and salmonella, and an extension of shelf life."
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the Council on Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) and the American Medical Association (AMA) believe that irradiation at approved levels presents no health risk, Cady noted. The May 1997 Report to President Clinton, "Food Safety from Farm to Table: A National Food Safety Initiative," calling for the safety of the American food supply, "further underscores the need for FDA to move expeditiously and publish a final rule permitting the use of irradiation to treat fresh or frozen raw meat," Cady said.
FDA has approved the use of irradiation to reduce or eliminate certain pathogens on poultry. More recently, FDA approved the use of irradiation for frozen packaged meats for use in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) space flight programs. Cady called on Dr. Friedman to give "your close personal attention to the immediate completion" of the FDA technical review of the petition and publication of a final rule to approve this important food safety tool. "This additional weapon in the arsenal of the food safety system that can help reduce the likelihood of foodborne illness should be made available to the food industry as quickly as possible," Cady concluded.
Source: National Food Processors Association.
Updated Monday, August 29, 2011
