Food irradiation for beef considered by Health Canada

Health Canada is thinking about allowing irradiation of ground beef.

The department announced the start of a consultation ona proposal that would allow irradiation of fresh and frozen ground beef to enhance food safety.

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After a review, Health Canada officials determined that ground beef treated with irradiation is safe to eat and retains its nutritional value, taste, texture and appearance.

The department'sfood directorate concluded there is sufficient data to support that irradiation reduces bacterial levels, such as E. coliO157:H7. Contamination with the microbe led to the largest beef recall in Canadian history after an outbreakat XL Foods in Brooks, Alta., in September 2012.

Irradiation also reduces the level of bacteria such as salmonella and Campylobacter.It can prevent premature spoilage and increase a food's shelf life.

Irradiation is already approved in Canada to treat potatoes, onions, wheat, flour, spices and seasoning preparations.

Food irradiation involves bombarding food withionizingradiation, such asthe gamma rays or X-raysroutinely used to sterilize medical and dental products, according to the U.S.Food and Drug Administration.

The technology is meant to complement, not replace, existing food safety processing, such as appropriate handling, sanitation and storage, the department said.

Irradiated foods must be clearly labelled with a written description as well as theRadura symbolon the package itself or on a sign next to it.

Label for transparency

Health Canada had proposed to permit the sale of irradiated ground beef in 2002. But according to itswebsite, some consumer associations and individual Canadians did not support the proposal because of misconceptions about irradiated food products and scepticism surrounding the science and safety.

Barbara Lee, director of Health Canada's Bureau of Chemical Safety, told reporters Friday that polling suggestspublic opinion may have shifted on irradiationas a result of highly visibleoutbreaks.

Radiation was traditionally a dreaded term that would "causepeople to grab theirkids and escape to the hills," saidTim Sly, a professor in the School of Public Health atRyersonUniversity in Toronto.

Sly believes in this age of transparency, labelling of irradiated foodswould go a long way.

"Transparency here means labelling," Sly said. "It's being coerced into something that gets the blood boiling among a lot of people."

Whenever salmonella,E. colior Listeriascares make the news and recalls occur, Sly said, irradiation could avoid the wastage of millions of pounds of food.

Irradiation is likened to pasteurization in that it doesn't sterilize foods.

At standard doses, it won't kill spore-forming bacteria such asthose that can causebotulism, said Sly. He's investigated outbreaks offood-borne diseases.

With respect to trade implications of the potential move to irradiating beef, Health Canada said theEuropean Uniononly authorizes irradiation of dried aromatic herbs, spices and vegetable seasonings, although some EU countries allow irradiation of other foods such as poultry.

The U.S. allows irradiation of refrigerated or frozen, uncooked intact or ground beef, to control pathogens and to extend shelf life.

Sly raised China as another market that could be accepting of irradiated meat.

The consultation period ends Sept.1.