Question

How would you explain to a concerned consumer what food irradiation is, and its benefits? What negative effect is there regarding food irradiation? Please answer in greater than 150 words

Answer 1

Highlight the following points

1.(Explain what food radiation is and what are its benefits)

Food irradiation (the application of ionizing radiation to food) is a technology that improves the safety and extends the shelf life of foods by reducing or eliminating disease-causing microorganisms such as E. coli O157:H7, Campylobacter, and Salmonella from foods.

2. (Compare it with processes the consumers are familiar with )

Like pasteurizing milk and canning fruits and vegetables, irradiation can make food safer for the consumer.

3 (Address to their concern about the nutritional value safety)

The foods are not changed in nutritional value and they don’t become dangerous as a result of irradiation.

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Negative effects:

1. Irradiation damages the quality of food.
Irradiation damages food by breaking up molecules and creating free radicals. The free radicals kill some bacteria, but they also bounce around in the food, damage vitamins and enzymes, and combine with existing chemicals (like pesticides) in the food to form new chemicals, called unique radiolytic products (URPs).

2.Science has not proved that a long-term diet of irradiated foods is safe for human health.

No one knows the long-term effects of a life-long diet that includes foods which will be frequently irradiated, such as meat, chicken, vegetables, fruits, salads, sprouts and juices.
There are no studies on the effects of feeding babies or children diets containing irradiated foods, except a very small and controversial study from India that showed health effects.

3 Irradiation covers up problems that the meat and poultry industry should solve
·Irradiation covers up the increased fecal contamination that results from speeded up slaughter and decreased federal inspection, both of which allow meat and poultry to be produced more cheaply.