- Action Alert: Stop irradiation of fresh fruits from Hawaii
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- Write letters to Papaya Trade Association and major Hawaii
newspaper
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- Take action to stop the first large-scale plan to sell
irradiated fruit in the US. Hawaii activists say that public pressure NOW
is critical. Since the 1960s, Hawaiian growers and government have tried
to irradiate papayas using nuclear materials. Now, a company called Hawaii
Pride is building an electron-beam irradiator, to open in June 2000. This
facility will mostly irradiate papayas, and small amounts of some tropical
fruits like starfruit, longans, rambutans and lychees. If Hawaii Pride
is successful, more irradiation of fruits and vegetables is sure to follow.
(If you are a vegetarian, see "Food Irradiation: Why Vegetarians Should
Care" at <http://www.purefood.org/irrad/whyvegetariansshouldcare.html).
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- Labels are currently required only for whole foods. Individual
fruits should be labeled, but may not be. Restaurant or institutional food,
or ingredients in processed food don,t have to be labeled (such as cut-up
papayas in a purchased fruit salad). The FDA is currently revising labeling
regulations, and may try to remove ALL labels. At that point, there will
be no turning back!
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- Contact the trade association for papaya exporters in
Hawaii, and tell them you will boycott Hawaiian papayas because you want
living foods, not cooked foods masquerading as fresh. (The other fruits
do not have trade associations because they are grown in much smaller quantities.)
A
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- short sample letter follows. Write to:
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- Papaya Administrative Committee 230 Kekuanaoa St Hilo,
Hawaii 96720-4318 or call 808/969-1160.
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- Send a copy as a letter to the editor: Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Letters to the Editor P.O. Box 767 Hilo, HI. 96721
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- Send a copy to the manager of your supermarket and to
the customer service office of the supermarket headquarters.
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- Background Information
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- What does a Hawaiian papaya look like? These are yellow
and shaped like Bartlett pears, about the size of an acorn squash. The
Mexican papaya is greenish, ripening to orange, the shape of a spaghetti
squash or football, and is often 5 lbs. or larger.
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- How is the food affected? Fresh foods are our best sources
of antioxidants and living digestive enzymes. They are the basis of a healthful
diet. There is much evidence that an organic, all-raw or largely raw diet
is optimal for longevity and health. Irradiation, whether by electronic
beams or nuclear materials, makes the nutrition of raw food similar to
that of cooked food. Just as it kills bacteria or insect pests by creating
free radicals that break up the cell walls and DNA, irradiation damages
or kills the living enzymes. In this dead food, the increased free radicals
are not balanced by natural antioxidants, because these are depleted, from
5%-50% or even up to 80% if stored for a long time. Irradiated 'fresh'
food is really cooked, dead food that looks and tastes like fresh food.
That's why it lasts so much longer in storage.
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- What is the justification for irradiation? For these
fruits, to kill fruit flies. However, according to Irradiation-Free Food
Hawaii, vapor heat and dry heat are proven, tried and trusted methods of
treating papaya for export, and irradiation is not necessary.
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- Resources Large site with more information about irradiation:
http://www.purefood.org/irradlink.html
(BioDemocracy/OCA) or Danila at danila@purefood.org Hawaii-specific information:
Irradiation-Free Food Hawaii at http://www.kilima.com/bill62.html
The company that is building the irradiator: http://www.hawaiipride.com/
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- SAMPLE LETTER -=-=-=-=-=-=-=
- Date:
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- Papaya Administrative Committee 230 Kekuanaoa St Hilo,
Hawaii 96720-4318
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- Dear Sir or Madam:
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- I love fresh fruits and they are an important part of
my diet. When I buy fresh foods, I expect them to have their full nutritional
value including all their vitamins and enzymes. Both nuclear and electronic-beam
irradiation creates free radicals, depletes the vitamins (A, C, E, B and
K) and damages the enzymes. Nutritionally, the food is similar to cooked
food.
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- If Hawaiian papayas and other tropical fruits are irradiated,
I will have no choice but to boycott all Hawaiian tropical fruits except
mangoes and pineapples. Although labels are required for whole fruits,
I do not want to risk purchasing an irradiated fruit that is not as nourishing
as life-giving fresh foods.
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- Sincerely,
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- cc: Hawaii Tribune-Herald Letters to the Editor P.O.
Box 767 Hilo, Hawaii 96721
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