Irradiation of food is a topic that is increasingly showing up as a point of concern for Mountain Rose customers, so I want to take a minute to talk about this timely subject. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of food irradiation in 1963 to kill bacteria, molds, insects, etc. in wheat and flour. Today, the FDA has approved irradiation for fruits, vegetables, eggs in the shell, spices and seasonings, sprouting seeds, poultry, crustaceans and shellfish, and red meats. Food irradiation involves exposing foods to one of three different types of ionizing radiation: gamma rays from cobalt-60, x-rays, or electron beams. The FDA uses this technology to improve food safety and extend storage and shelf life. Meanwhile, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organics Program (NOP), which oversees the nation’s organics labeling, prohibits the use of irradiation to treat organic products because the process alters the natural state of food. These two opposing views present consumers with something of a conundrum.
How Does Irradiation Work on Food?
The gamma rays and x-rays used in food irradiation are similar in some ways to microwaves, but they have much higher energy and they penetrate food much more deeply. Foods are passed through a radiation chamber where ionizing radiation beams from gamma rays, x-rays, or electron beams send energy through the food product. The energy breaks up the chemical bonds of anything living in the food: microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, and parasites. This kills pathogens or damages them enough so they cannot continue to multiply, thus reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses.
Food irradiation is the standard in mainstream food production operations in the U.S., Canada, Australia, China, Japan, and several European countries. However, countries such as Austria and Switzerland have banned the use of irradiation on their food supply, and other nations have restricted its use to very specific purposes on specific foods because, although the process does not make our food radioactive, there are significant ongoing concerns about potential long-term negative effects of consuming irradiated food.
In some foods, the irradiation process causes no obvious physical change to appearance, texture, or flavor, while other foods cannot be irradiated without obvious changes. However, studies show that irradiation alters the nutrient content in food even if everything else appears okay. For example, we know that Gamma rays from cobalt-60 destroy some of the A, C, E, and B vitamins in irradiated foods.
Additionally, as irradiation breaks chemical bonds, new molecules often form, which are called unique radiolytic products. According to the Center for Food Safety, some of these irradiation byproducts are a variety of mutagens: substances that can cause gene mutations in human cells. Radiolytic byproducts include known toxic chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene among others, and also a byproduct called 2-alkylcyclobutanones (2-ACBs), which is a new chemical compound found only in irradiated foods. Some of these byproducts are unidentified and most have not been studied, so have unknown toxicity.
These concerns and unknowns fuel consumer fears. Even though food irradiation can reduce the chances of bacterial poisoning, Australian studies on consumer response to food irradiation confirmed that many people would rather run the risk of food poisoning than eat irradiated food. The studies also highlighted other concerns that consumers have regarding the standard practice of irradiating our food supply:
As well as destroying organisms that cause foodborne illness, irradiation is regularly used to inhibit sprouting and delay ripening in fruits and vegetables to increase the longevity of produce in storage or sitting on store shelves. It is also used to sterilize foods so they can be stored without refrigeration. Although irradiation does not stop the aging process entirely in fruits and vegetables, it slows it down significantly. As irradiation unnaturally extends shelf life, the visual and olfactory warning signs that we look for—like discoloration or a bad smell—to tell us food is old or spoiled may not be present. There is public concern that appearances may now be misleading.
Irradiated foods must be handled, stored, and cooked with the same food safety in mind as non-irradiated foods because irradiation only kills what is in food at that moment. Pathogens are introduced to foods all along the supply chain, including after food is irradiated, so irradiation does not necessarily protect consumers from foodborne illnesses. Also, while irradiation can control the spread and growth of bacteria like the C. botulinum bacteria, it cannot remove the toxins already produced by the bacteria prior to irradiation. In the case of C. botulinum, it is the toxin, rather than the bacteria itself, that poses a health hazard. This reality feeds the general consumer concern that food irradiation offers a false sense of security.
Other issues for consumers involve the environment. There have been both radioactive spills and acts of wrongdoing at irradiation plants that have contaminated surrounding land and water resources. Also, radioactive materials must be transported to the irradiation plants along public highways, creating more risk of accidents and leaks in a wider area. Consumers are understandably leery about accidental spills impacting residential areas, water sources, and more.
Despite assurances from the FDA and international organizations, the overall unease on the part of consumers about an irradiated food supply has led to labeling requirements in many countries, including the United States. Here in the U.S., the FDA requires that irradiated foods be labeled with the international Radura symbol and a statement that the product has been Treated with radiation or Treated by irradiation. Bulk foods and loose fruits and vegetables must either be individually labeled or have a label on the bulk container or store product sign.
Be aware however, that individual ingredients in blends such as spice blends do not have to be labeled, and restaurants, food trucks, etc. do not necessarily have to disclose if they are using irradiated ingredients.
The USDA NOP regulation §205.105 states: To be labeled as ‘100 percent organic’, ‘organic’ or ‘made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s)),’ the product must be produced and handled without the use of (f) Ionizing radiation, as described in Food and Drug Administration regulation, 21 CFR 179.26.
So, certified organic food must be produced and sold without the use of irradiation. Because irradiation is a technology that alters the natural state of food, it is not compliant with organic standards. This, in a nutshell, means your organic herbs, spices, produce, and other certified organic foods are non-irradiated—and also not genetically modified, grown in sewage sludge, or farmed with chemicals, which are other prohibited actions by regulation §205.105. A product cannot legally be labeled with both the USDA organic symbol and the international Radura symbol. We say this is yet another solid reason to buy organic!
You may also be interested in:
Topics: Sustainability, Herbalism, Specialty Ingredients, Green Living
Heidi is an award winning freelance writer with a passion for urban homesteading. She has been honored to receive a number of literary prizes including the esteemed Pushcart Prize and an Individual Artists Award in Creative Writing from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. When she isn’t working in the garden, cleaning the henhouse, preserving food, crafting herbal formulations, or writing and editing content for really fantastic small businesses, you’ll likely find her with her nose in a book.
.jpg?width=1080&name=2023%20(1).jpg "Mountain Rose Herbs 2023 Impact Report")
Irradiation of food is a topic that is increasingly showing up as a point of concern for Mountain Rose customers, so I want to take a minute to talk about this timely subject. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of food irradiation in 1963 to kill bacteria, molds, insects, etc. in wheat and flour. Today, the FDA has approved irradiation for fruits, vegetables, eggs in the shell, spices and seasonings, sprouting seeds, poultry, crustaceans and shellfish, and red meats. Food irradiation involves exposing foods to one of three different types of ionizing radiation: gamma rays from cobalt-60, x-rays, or electron beams. The FDA uses this technology to improve food safety and extend storage and shelf life. Meanwhile, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organics Program (NOP), which oversees the nation’s organics labeling, prohibits the use of irradiation to treat organic products because the process alters the natural state of food. These two opposing views present consumers with something of a conundrum.
How Does Irradiation Work on Food?
The gamma rays and x-rays used in food irradiation are similar in some ways to microwaves, but they have much higher energy and they penetrate food much more deeply. Foods are passed through a radiation chamber where ionizing radiation beams from gamma rays, x-rays, or electron beams send energy through the food product. The energy breaks up the chemical bonds of anything living in the food: microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, and parasites. This kills pathogens or damages them enough so they cannot continue to multiply, thus reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses.
Food irradiation is the standard in mainstream food production operations in the U.S., Canada, Australia, China, Japan, and several European countries. However, countries such as Austria and Switzerland have banned the use of irradiation on their food supply, and other nations have restricted its use to very specific purposes on specific foods because, although the process does not make our food radioactive, there are significant ongoing concerns about potential long-term negative effects of consuming irradiated food.
In some foods, the irradiation process causes no obvious physical change to appearance, texture, or flavor, while other foods cannot be irradiated without obvious changes. However, studies show that irradiation alters the nutrient content in food even if everything else appears okay. For example, we know that Gamma rays from cobalt-60 destroy some of the A, C, E, and B vitamins in irradiated foods.
Additionally, as irradiation breaks chemical bonds, new molecules often form, which are called unique radiolytic products. According to the Center for Food Safety, some of these irradiation byproducts are a variety of mutagens: substances that can cause gene mutations in human cells. Radiolytic byproducts include known toxic chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene among others, and also a byproduct called 2-alkylcyclobutanones (2-ACBs), which is a new chemical compound found only in irradiated foods. Some of these byproducts are unidentified and most have not been studied, so have unknown toxicity.
These concerns and unknowns fuel consumer fears. Even though food irradiation can reduce the chances of bacterial poisoning, Australian studies on consumer response to food irradiation confirmed that many people would rather run the risk of food poisoning than eat irradiated food. The studies also highlighted other concerns that consumers have regarding the standard practice of irradiating our food supply:
As well as destroying organisms that cause foodborne illness, irradiation is regularly used to inhibit sprouting and delay ripening in fruits and vegetables to increase the longevity of produce in storage or sitting on store shelves. It is also used to sterilize foods so they can be stored without refrigeration. Although irradiation does not stop the aging process entirely in fruits and vegetables, it slows it down significantly. As irradiation unnaturally extends shelf life, the visual and olfactory warning signs that we look for—like discoloration or a bad smell—to tell us food is old or spoiled may not be present. There is public concern that appearances may now be misleading.
Irradiated foods must be handled, stored, and cooked with the same food safety in mind as non-irradiated foods because irradiation only kills what is in food at that moment. Pathogens are introduced to foods all along the supply chain, including after food is irradiated, so irradiation does not necessarily protect consumers from foodborne illnesses. Also, while irradiation can control the spread and growth of bacteria like the C. botulinum bacteria, it cannot remove the toxins already produced by the bacteria prior to irradiation. In the case of C. botulinum, it is the toxin, rather than the bacteria itself, that poses a health hazard. This reality feeds the general consumer concern that food irradiation offers a false sense of security.
Other issues for consumers involve the environment. There have been both radioactive spills and acts of wrongdoing at irradiation plants that have contaminated surrounding land and water resources. Also, radioactive materials must be transported to the irradiation plants along public highways, creating more risk of accidents and leaks in a wider area. Consumers are understandably leery about accidental spills impacting residential areas, water sources, and more.
Despite assurances from the FDA and international organizations, the overall unease on the part of consumers about an irradiated food supply has led to labeling requirements in many countries, including the United States. Here in the U.S., the FDA requires that irradiated foods be labeled with the international Radura symbol and a statement that the product has been Treated with radiation or Treated by irradiation. Bulk foods and loose fruits and vegetables must either be individually labeled or have a label on the bulk container or store product sign.
Be aware however, that individual ingredients in blends such as spice blends do not have to be labeled, and restaurants, food trucks, etc. do not necessarily have to disclose if they are using irradiated ingredients.
The USDA NOP regulation §205.105 states: To be labeled as ‘100 percent organic’, ‘organic’ or ‘made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s)),’ the product must be produced and handled without the use of (f) Ionizing radiation, as described in Food and Drug Administration regulation, 21 CFR 179.26.
So, certified organic food must be produced and sold without the use of irradiation. Because irradiation is a technology that alters the natural state of food, it is not compliant with organic standards. This, in a nutshell, means your organic herbs, spices, produce, and other certified organic foods are non-irradiated—and also not genetically modified, grown in sewage sludge, or farmed with chemicals, which are other prohibited actions by regulation §205.105. A product cannot legally be labeled with both the USDA organic symbol and the international Radura symbol. We say this is yet another solid reason to buy organic!
You may also be interested in:
Topics: Sustainability, Herbalism, Specialty Ingredients, Green Living
Heidi is an award winning freelance writer with a passion for urban homesteading. She has been honored to receive a number of literary prizes including the esteemed Pushcart Prize and an Individual Artists Award in Creative Writing from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. When she isn’t working in the garden, cleaning the henhouse, preserving food, crafting herbal formulations, or writing and editing content for really fantastic small businesses, you’ll likely find her with her nose in a book.
