WASHINGTON
- April 18 - Public Citizen is urging 350 of the largest food companies and
industry groups in the United States and throughout the world to refrain from selling
irradiated food. In a letter sent
last week to the companies and organizations, Public Citizen explained that a vast
majority of consumers do not want to eat food that has been exposed to high doses of
radiation and that irradiated food could endanger the health of their customers who eat
it.
In addition to the letter, Public Citizen sent the largest meatpackers, food
processors, retailers, fast-food chains and agribusiness corporations a packet of
information explaining the potential hazards of irradiated food. Companies and
groups receiving the letter ranged from Burger King, Campbell Soup Company, Wal-Mart and
Tyson Foods to the National Chicken Council, the National Restaurant Council and the
National Food Processors Association.
"Consumers do not want to eat filth, whether it’s been irradiated or
not," said the letter, which was signed by Wenonah Hauter, director of Public
Citizen’s Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "Americans demand and
deserve fresh, wholesome, safe food that has been grown and processed in clean
environments. The bottom line is that irradiation will not make food cleaner. It merely
masks unhygienic slaughtering and processing practices, while corrupting nutritional
integrity. . . . We urge your company not to sell irradiated food until the many lingering
public health questions have been adequately addressed."
Among its many hazards, irradiation can deplete vitamins and nutrients, form new
chemicals that have never been studied for toxicity, and corrupt the flavor and odor of
food. Additionally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not properly assess the
safety of irradiated food before legalizing it for human consumption, research by Public
Citizen has found.
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