Fresh and frozen raw ground beef could be added to the list of foods Health Canada allows to undergo food irradiation.
What is food irradiation?
Food irradiation involves bombarding meat with radiation such as X-rays or gamma rays routinely used to sterilize medical and dental products, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
How does it work?
When food is irradiated, it never touches the radioactive source itself. The food is briefly exposed to alpha or gamma rays that kill E. coli, salmonella and other microbes.
Since irradiation doesn’t kill 100 per cent of micro-organisms, the standard food preparation steps of clean, separate, cook and chill, still apply.
How safe is it?
Public health authorities like the World Health Organization, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada have all cleared food irradiation for safety.
How is it used on food in Canada now?
The century-old technology is routinely used on dried spices and flour in Canada and is approved to stop sprouting in onions and potatoes.
How will I know if the food is irradiated?
Health Canada says irradiated ground beef would need to be clearly labelled as such.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires irradiated foods to bear the international symbol for irradiation. Look for the Radura symbol along with the statement “Treated with radiation” or “Treated by irradiation” on the food label. Individual ingredients such as spices do not need to be labelled.