[oldschool1982]

FDA: Irradiating spinach, lettuce OK to kill germs - Yahoo! News

I'm not big on the idea. Call me oldfashioned but just like anti bacterial soaps this will probably do us more harm than good.

Mind you this is a personal opinion. Being that it is just that, Please understand I'm not going to get all wrapped up in any long and draw out explanations for my reasons why. So please just take it as a differing opinion if you disagree.

[phatch]

I've always liked the idea.

[shel]

I'm thinking along the same lines as oldschool, based solely on what was written in the linked article. However, the article seems pretty superficial and left me with more question and no answers, not all associated directly with the story or food irradiation.

Will the produce be labeled as being irradiated?
Will we have the choice to buy non-irradiated produce?
How will this effect organic produce? Small farms and
small, independent growers. What about tomatoes,
jalapenos, other fruits and vegetables? There are probably
a lot more questions ...

shel

[Gabe107]

I used to be in the nuclear industry; both commercial power and D.O.E. complexes. Bottom line, I like irradiation of foods but in the last year I've opened up to some of the cons. One day I saw irradiated burger patties in the frozen food section of a grocery store and bought them simply to support the "Sure Beam" technology which is now defunct. As a test I put one patty in a reclosable bag, removed most of the air and put in the back of my 'fridge. A month later it was still red. Six weeks later there started to be a little growth where I had touched the patty. It clearly stored better than non-irradiated ground meat. Over twenty years ago a Florida university did a study on tomatoes and the product clearly stored much longer. That would allow tomatoes to ripen in the field instead of being picked green & "ripened" in the semi trailer during transit. Lately, though, I have been reading about possible nutrient depletion due to irradiation and perhaps DNA warping and let's face it, we are digesting (absorbing) foods. Currently, I'd rather consume irradiated foods than RoundUp-ready foods.

[DocSmith]

As a Doc with something of a background in genetics I have no problem with this.

Protecting the food supply is very difficult, and we are quite spoiled in the last 30 years with getting fresh produce year round in all climates.

I want to continue this, and I'd much rather do it with this sort of radiation then by chemical means.