The US Department of Agriculture yesterday [Thursday] lifted its ban on the inclusion of irradiated ground beef in school lunch programmes.
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Irradiation remains a controversial technology, lauded by its advocates for its ability to rid food of bacteria yet a cause of concern to many consumers sceptical about the potential long-term effects of the gamma rays, X-rays and electrons on their health.
The 27 million students in the US’s school lunch programme may now find themselves eating irradiated ground beef, despite the objections of several consumer groups, reported the Washington Post. Local schools will make the final decision on whether to accept irradiated beef or not.
“While there is not a lot of evidence that irradiation harms anybody, neither has there been any group of people who has consumed irradiated food over a long period of time,” said Arthur S. Jaeger, associate director of the Consumer Federation of America. “We have said all along that we don’t think school kids are the place to start serving irradiated ground beef.”
Some government and meat industry bodies are frustrated at the reluctance to accept irradiated meat, since they see the technology as a key tool in the fight against foodborne illness. They point to the 40 years of testing irradiation has undergone as an indicator of the technology’s maturity and market readiness.
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By GlobalDataThe Food and Drug Administration approved the process in 1997, and two years later USDA approved the sale of irradiated meat in grocery stores. Nevertheless, irradiated meat still accounts for under 5% of overall meat sales, industry estimates claim.
