Fresh from Chernobyl Farms

In a baffling move the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved irradiating fresh produce for sale in the United States. U.S. men and women serving in the armed forces have long acted as unwitting lab rats in this macabre experiment gone hay-wire, and long term health effects are at present still unclear. This move falls in line with current FDA policy which implies that if you can chew it up and swallow it, and survive long enough to crap it out - it's safe to eat. 

The image above, known as the 'Radura' is what the FDA plans on requiring manufacturers to label irradiated products with and is seen by many to be intentionally misleading   and many are calling for more poignant labeling. Heres what the bleeding heart liberals at the University of Texas are saying about irradiation:

"Food irradiation is being promoted as a simple process that can be used to effectively and significantly reduce food-borne illnesses around the world. However, a thorough review of the literature reveals a paucity of adequate research conducted to specifically address health concerns that may directly result from the consumption of irradiated food. Consequently, there is considerable debate on the issue of health concerns from irradiated food among international agencies and between different nations...As a result of this review, the authors conclude that current evidence does not exist to substantiate the support or unconditional endorsement of irradiation of food for consumption. In addition, consumers are entitled to their right of choice in the consumption of irradiated versus un-irradiated food. Different countries should further evaluate their local and global risks and benefits prior to developing and recommending national and international food irradiation policies."

The lack of thought given to this issue raises other quesions. Will restaurants be required to disclose the use of irradiated products? If so, what is the oversight process? 

This clearly seems to be a lobbyist backed ploy by large producers to reduce the number of food borne illnesses reported each year. With this years 'tomato, cilantro, and jalepenos' debacle fresh on the American public's mind the FDA has certainly turned lemons into a big cool (and pragmatic) glass of lemonade. On the surface a seemingly noble cause, it is not hard to imagine that their true concern may lie in reducing the amount of money paid out in court settlements concerning the accidental poisonings. Zapping helpless spinach is a whole lot easier (cheaper) than trying to keep animal feces out of our supply chain. This logic flies in the face of the traditional "ounce-of-prevention trumps a-pound-of-cure" outlook, and sets a dangerous precedent for American food producers for the decades to come. 

This is something that people need to educate themselves about. The sad, simple truth is corporations exist to produce products consumers will buy. As consumers we all vote with our dollars and so we need to make informed decisions in the market place. For more information on irradiated foods read here.