- WASHINGTON - The US Agriculture
Department said yesterday that it plans to allow irradiated meat to be
served to millions of children in US schools by the end of the year.
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- Irradiation, which has been endorsed by the World Health
Organization, exposes food to low doses of electrons or gamma rays to destroy
deadly micro-organisms such as E. coli O157:H7 and salmonella.
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- Under the US farm subsidy law enacted in May, the USDA
must allow government-approved food safety technology, such as irradiation,
to be used in commodities donated to the federal school lunch program.
Some 27 million schoolchildren receive free or low-cost meals in the program.
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- USDA spokeswoman Alisa Harrison said the school lunch
program currently prohibits buying irradiated meat.
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- ''This is one we are looking at to see if our regulations
need to be changed to comply with the farm bill,'' Harrison said. ''We
hope to have something by the end of the year.''
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- American foodmakers have been slow to adopt irradiation
treatment for raw meat and poultry because of the cost of the equipment
and worries about consumer acceptance.
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- Foods treated with irradiation must carry labels saying
either ''treated with irradiation'' or ''treated by radiation.''
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- The USDA buys large amounts of ground beef, vegetables,
and other foods from American farmers for the school lunch program.
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- Barry Sackin, vice president of the American School Food
Service Association, said the industry supports irradiation, but wants
to launch an extensive public information campaign on it.
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- ''Our concerns are public relations,'' Sackin said. ''We
want to make sure communities don't lose confidence in the food being given
to the school lunch program.''
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- Some fear that using high-energy radiation in food products
could have harmful effects on consumers.
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- Public Citizen, a Washington-based consumer advocacy
group, said in a report released this week that animals fed irradiated
food have suffered dozens of health problems, including internal bleeding
and immune system disorders.
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- Other consumer advocacy groups say the use of irradiation
will mean that meat companies will become lax about removing fecal material
because it will be sterilized during the procedure.
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- http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/299/nation/In_school
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