The government is going to let food producers zap fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce with enough radiation to kill micro-organisms like E. coli and salmonella that have made people sick for decades. It’s the first time the Food and Drug Administration has allowed any produce to be irradiated at the levels that are needed to protect against illnesses. The debate continues over whether this will affect nutritional value, safety, and taste.
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4 Responses to “News Nugget: Zapping the germs out of lettuce and spinach”
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I’ll need to think about this one. About a year ago, there was a big brou-haha over the USDA’s irradiation (fumigation) of raw almonds from California. People were outraged that the chemicals used were classified as a possible carcinogen and furious that they were being denied the choice as to what types of almonds to purchase. More to it than that, of course, but it just seems like there is so much contradictory information when it comes to the government and their involvement, we can’t seem to get the straight story sometimes.
I think that it’s a good idea, but only if the irradiated lettuce is properly labeled – something the government isn’t very good about requiring.
Hmm… this whole zapping thing kinda makes me nervous. But then again, I really don’t want to get e. coli.
Caroline,
I didn’t know about the almonds in California – that’s awful. And in the case of the spinach and lettuce, it just seems like a quick-fix to not being able to track and control where the contaminated food is coming from in the first place. I am definitely adding spinach and lettuce to my list of “buy organic only.”