OT/If feds have their way, your food is about to catch some rays

[Guest guest]

If feds have their way, your food is about to " catch some rays "

I know many of you still aren't eating peanut products in the wake of the deadly

peanut salmonella outbreak of this winter. It will probably be some time before

you're comfortable enough to do that again. And it's hard to blame you. But

believe it or not, the recent wave of food-borne sicknesses could lead to

something that would be worse for our food supply than the occasional salmonella

outbreak: more food irradiation.

Federal officials believe that it could be possible to do away with deadly food

bacteria by zapping them with X-rays. It's a stupid idea, but it's been able to

grab a toehold in food safety circles because of the devastating effect these

outbreaks have had on both the population and the food industry's bottom line

(I'll leave it to you which of these they probably think is more important).

So the food will have no nutritional value whatsoever — but hey, at least it

won't kill you! The fact is, irradiation turns even the most nutritious foods

into junk foods. Sure, it kills the fungi, parasites, and bacteria that can

cause spoilage and disease, but it also obliterates the good stuff in food, too.

In this latest push for irradiation, the focus has switched from gamma rays to

X-rays because it exposes the food to less radiation. Gamma rays destroy

bacteria by obliterating the DNA. Foods are usually exposed to gamma ray doses

of up to 3,000,000 rads. (To put that in perspective, a dose of just 10,000 rads

will totally destroy any living tissue. Appetizing, isn't it?)

But just because X-rays don't have the same nutrition-destroying effect as gamma

rays doesn't mean there's no danger. If you've ever worn a lead-lined vest while

receiving a hospital X-ray, I'm sure you'd think twice before munching on a bowl

of peanuts that's been shot full of a mega-dose of X-ray radiation.

" We think food irradiation in general is a tool that, like other treatments that

reduce pathogens, has great potential for food safety, " according to the CDC's

director of the Division of Foodborne, Bacterial, and Mycotic Diseases

Tauxe. " I think food would be safer if we made a lot more use of it. "

Of course it's safer… because it's dead! Is that so hard to understand?

The FDA has already expanded the approved use of irradiation by food

manufacturers, and of course this government agency is in lock-step with the CDC

in their acceptance and support of irradiation (as you know, the government

loves a quick fix).

The last bastion against irradiation is organic foods, which by law cannot be

subjected to any form of irradiation and retain their organic status. The fact

that organic farms still function and have yet to be tied to the same kinds of

mass food catastrophes shows that food doesn't have to be nuked to be safe.

Sadly, irradiation is gaining in popularity because it's cheaper and faster. And

you get what you pay for.

How about you… Would you eat meat, fish, or produce that has been irradiated?

Click here to participate in my Weekly Poll.

 

<http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB228YD33H2U5>

Love, Gabby. :0)

http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

 

" I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had

some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin. " ~ Jerry Newport