Marler Blog - Pros and Cons of Commercial Irradiation of Fresh Iceberg Lettuce and Fresh Spinach: A Literature Review - Comments http://www.marlerblog.com/ Food Poisoning Lawyer & Attorney : Bill Marler : Marler Clark en Copyright 2012 Wed, 16 May 2012 05:06:06 -0800 Wed, 16 May 2012 05:06:06 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.32-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss haphazardgourmet Irradiating food moves Eating into the category of activities that should require informed consent. From an ethical eating standpoint, the only way irradiating food should possibly be thrust on the public is if there is a strictly enforced requirement for labeling that persists even when irradiated ingredients are processed into other food products. This kind of labeling is highly unlikey; the US can't even manage to get tiny stickers on produce that accurately track origin and packing. It's something of a public health--and moral--disaster to be exposing unwitting populations to irradiated foods, particularly since the long-term effects of ingesting irradiated foods have yet to be studied.

]]> http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#8360 http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#8360 Lawyer Op-Ed Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:06:17 -0800 bmarler@marlerclark.com (Bill Marler) matt I'm not saying I want the stuff banned, or that I even believe that it's dangerous - but I have enough concerns that I don't want anything to do with it.

We know there is some vitamin loss by the process. We know that the product looks better longer, which may lead to situations where nutritional value has decreased beyond what would be visually apparent. We know the process changes proteins. These are just the known issues.

And I don't believe for a second that efforts to fight contamination in the first place will continue to be a priority if the use of this technology becomes widespread.

And who will operate the machines? The same skilled workforce that the meat processing plants use? Good luck with that.

I'm sorry but I just see this as yet another perfect example of agriculture failing to scale up to big business size. Eat whole foods, eat local foods, and eat what's in season. KNOW where your food comes from.

I got my chicken and some really nice bib lettuce lettuce from her:
http://www.carrborofarmersmarket.com/castlemaine.html

It's a great feeling; the food is incredible, the money stays in the local economy, the farm is sustainable and if I can do this, you can too.

]]> http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#8361 http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#8361 Lawyer Op-Ed Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:06:17 -0800 bmarler@marlerclark.com (Bill Marler) Thandi Zulu Thank you
This is very important for every American to know what we eat.

]]> http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#8362 http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#8362 Lawyer Op-Ed Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:06:17 -0800 bmarler@marlerclark.com (Bill Marler) D. Ehlermann, food irradiation expert This citation to a first US patent on food irradiation is totally false; it concerned mixing radioactive material with the food in order to preserve it. The first US patent on irradiation is of 1918 (Gillet), quite ingenious, about using a grid of X-ray bulbs. And the real first patent is from the UK in 1905/1906.

]]> http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#8363 http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#8363 Lawyer Op-Ed Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:06:17 -0800 bmarler@marlerclark.com (Bill Marler) D. Ehlermann, food irradiation expert Correction: FDA has approved in the high-dose area the treatment of 'spices' up to 30 kGy.

]]> http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#8364 http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#8364 Lawyer Op-Ed Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:06:17 -0800 bmarler@marlerclark.com (Bill Marler) D. Ehlermann, food irradiation expert References: your list lacks the most important book:

J.F. Diehl, The safety of irradieted food, Marcel Dekker, 1995 (2nd edition)

]]> http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#8365 http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#8365 Lawyer Op-Ed Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:06:17 -0800 bmarler@marlerclark.com (Bill Marler) Bill Thanks for your comments.

Comment 1.

As clarification, the historical perspective in this review was meant to give a couple brief, general highlights from the fascinating history of food irradiation and its origins. The sentence (and reference) that you refer to states: "In 1905, scientists received the first patents for application of ionizing radiation as a food preservation process to kill bacteria."

This was not meant to be interpreted as US Patent. Indeed, the citation was Molins (2001a) and the original list from the introduction read: "1905: A British patent was issued for use of ionizing radiation to kill bacteria in food through food irradiation."

Comment 2.

Are you referring to this part of the review? "FDA currently permits food irradiation in the “medium” dose range to control pathogens (primarily bacteria and parasites) for the following foods: • Fresh, non-heated processed pork
• Fresh or frozen, uncooked poultry products
etc."

Because this article is focused on the new FDA rule, which addresses a medium dose application, I did not list low or high dose uses, including spices. Because there is such a huge volume of literature on the subject, this review was meant to provide a relatively succinct and focused look at implications for fresh lettuce/spinach.

Comment 3.

You are correct. Diel (1995) is an excellent reference. It was included in my most recent installment to the series (see reference 6):

http://www.marlerblog.com/2008/11/articles/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-review-part-iii-food-quality

Diehl, J. F. 1995. Nutritional adequacy of irradiated foods. In: Safety of Irradiated Foods, 2nd edition. Diehl, J. F. (ed). Marcel Dekker, New York. p. 241-282.

]]> http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#8366 http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#8366 Lawyer Op-Ed Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:06:17 -0800 bmarler@marlerclark.com (Bill Marler) philG Having done a lot of reading on various sites like Time to Awaken my views on irradiation are as follows:
1) There simply is not enough know about the way free radicals alter food chemistry.
2) It would appear that irradiation, while prolonging the shelf life of food (and indirectly increasing the profits on food) in actual fact destroy the nutritional value of the product, depleting vitamins A, thiamin, B2, B3, B6, B12, folic acid, C, E, and K.
3) The amount of radiation pumped into the product seems excessive
4) The safety studies I have read seem to be classed as flawed
5) The only beneficiaries appear to be the retailer and the food manufacturer."Time to Awaken]http://the-future.uphero.com/food/irradiation/[/link] my views on irradiation are as follows:
1) There simply is not enough know about the way free radicals alter food chemistry.
2) It would appear that irradiation, while prolonging the shelf life of food (and indirectly increasing the profits on food) in actual fact destroy the nutritional value of the product, depleting vitamins A, thiamin, B2, B3, B6, B12, folic acid, C, E, and K.
3) The amount of radiation pumped into the product seems excessive
4) The safety studies I have read seem to be classed as flawed
5) The only beneficiaries appear to be the retailer and the food manufacturer.

]]> http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#9823 http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#9823 Lawyer Op-Ed Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:06:17 -0800 bmarler@marlerclark.com (Bill Marler) deniseK I agree with Phil. I would also have to say that the FDA is not releasing enough information on research done on the effects of the irradiation on humans. In the "Hidden Harm", written in December 2001, it speaks of just three things that are/can cause genetic and cellular damage in humans. These three things, 2-DCB, 2-TCB, and 2-TDCB (all cyclobutanones) could very well be largely responsible for the increase of cancer along with a lot of other diseases. I have not been able to find one thing that the FDA has done in this area nor have I found anything that would prove to me that they were investigating other possibilities that could occur from other fats. It has been proven that these three (above mentioned) cause genetic and cellular damage since 1971. Why does it appear that things have stalled since 2008 in research? ("Hidden Harm", written by "Public Citizen and The Center for Food Safety", both out of Washington, D.C.)

]]> http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#16951 http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/pros-and-cons-of-commercial-irradiation-of-fresh-iceberg-lettuce-and-fresh-spinach-a-literature-revi/#16951 Lawyer Op-Ed Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:06:17 -0800 bmarler@marlerclark.com (Bill Marler)