A number of organizations like the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and Codex Alimentarius Commission have endorsed irradiated foodstuff as safe for consumption, though it is not a substitute for appropriate food handling and manufacturing procedures. More than 40 countries around the world currently permit this procedure. Federal rules mandate the labeling of irradiated foodstuffs to differentiate them from non-irradiated foods.
The FDA asserts that this procedure is safe and does not cause any harm to the food. It also claims that this procedure causes only a small loss of nutrients, as is the case with other food processing means like cooking, canning, and heat pasteurization.
The FDA has approved irradiation of several foodstuffs since the early 60s. In 1963, it granted approval for the irradiation of wheat flour to control the formation of mold. The following year, the FDA approved the irradiation of white potatoes to hinder sprouting. In 1986, it approved the irradiation of pork to kill parasites. That same year, it affirmed the use of irradiation of fruit and vegetables to kill insects and increase their shelf lives and the irradiation of herbs and spices to eliminate the need for chemical fumigation.
But in spite of that history, many consumer organizations such as Public Citizen do not advocate the consumption of irradiated foodstuff. They mention that evidence that food irradiation is safe is actually absent. They maintain that irradiation is equivalent to 10-70 million chest x-rays.
Many consumer organizations point to additional evidence which suggests that irradiation changes the molecular structure of food, causing the formation of toxic radiolytic compounds that are potentially carcinogenic in nature. They point out that irradiation causes severe damage and depletion of nutrients, vitamins, essential amino acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids in the foodstuff. Recent research estimates that irradiation destroys up to 95% of vitamin A in chicken, 86% of vitamins in oats, and 70% vitamin C in fruit juices.
They also claim that no long-term studies exist on the potential harm that irradiated food can cause to health. Moreover, most toxicology related research was done prior to 1980, without modern-investigative methods.
The FDA maintains that irradiating food does not make food radioactive or diminish food quality; however, the FDA does concede that some foodstuffs, including dairy products, and some fruits like peaches and nectarines cannot withstand irradiation. Still, there is considerable dispute over the methods that the FDA has chosen to declare that irradiated foodstuff is safe for consumption, even though the FDA also says that the word "irradiation" alarms consumers and consequently causes consumer dissent. Though hundreds of studies were conducted to prove that irradiation led to serious health problems in laboratory animals including kidney damage, chromosomal abnormalities, shorter life spans, and tumors, the FDA rejected them on the grounds that these were poorly conducted. It also appears that the FDA has used a theoretical-risk calculation method based on a July 1940 report, rather than established laboratory measures to estimate the damage that irradiated foodstuff can cause to consumers.
There are a variety of opinions in the United States and other countries about the legitimacy of irradiating foodstuffs. Although a number of studies are ongoing to prove the safety of irradiated foodstuff, it is evident that much research remains to be done in this area in order for irradiated foodstuff to gain widespread acceptability.
