Irradiation underused to fight E. coli

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Zapping salad fixings with just a bit of radiation can kill dangerous E. coli and other bacteria — and food-safety experts say Europe’s massive outbreak shows wary consumers should give the long- approved step a chance.

The U.S. government has OK’d irradiation for a variety of foods: meat, spices, certain imported fruits, the seeds used to grow sprouts. Even iceberg lettuce or spinach can be irradiated without the leaves going limp. And no, it doesn’t make the food radioactive.

But sterilized leafy greens aren’t on the market, and overall sales of irradiated foods remain low. A disappointed Grocery Manufacturers Association says one reason is that sellers worry about consumer mistrust.

“We need to do whatever we can to give us a wider margin of safety,” says Dr. Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota infectious- disease specialist who frequently advises the government.

The source of the E. coli strain in Europe hasn’t been pinpointed. Backtracking for the second time in a week, German officials said Monday that preliminary tests have found no evidence that vegetable sprouts from an organic farm in northern Germany were to blame.

The U.S. has faced its own spate of tainted produce in recent years, with E. coli, salmonella, listeria and other bugs linked to lettuce, spinach, hot peppers, sprouts, cantaloupes and more.

The outbreaks have renewed interest in higher-tech fixes such as irradiation, used in certain foods in the U.S. and parts of Europe. Irradiation zaps food with electron beams, like the kind long used to run TVs, or with gamma rays or X-rays. It’s the same way numerous medical products are sterilized.

The Food and Drug Administration approved irradiation for raw spinach and lettuce three years ago, saying it safely killed germs and lengthened shelf life without harming texture, taste or nutrients. But it didn’t catch on, and the grocery producers group, which wants more salad ingredients OK’d for irradiation, blames both consumer wariness and a technical issue. Some of the bags the greens are sold in need approval to be zapped, too.

Irradiated meat has been around for years, particularly ground beef that is a favorite hiding spot for E. coli.

Americans get more irradiated foods than they realize. About a third of commercial spices — the kind added to processed foods — are irradiated, says Ron Eustice of the Minnesota Beef Council and a consultant to the Food Irradiation Processing Alliance.