Health Topics A-Z | 2007 Archive | 2006 Archive | 2005 Archive | 2004 Archive | 2003 Archive
A R T I C L E |
D A T E |
| ‘Roid Rage: Forget Major League, Think Little League |
03-12-2008 |
| Male Breasts Gynecomastia: When nature gets confused |
04-04-2007 |
| A Few Good Monsters Don't be scared, be grateful. The Gila Monster is helping diabetics control blood sugar and lose weight. |
11-15-2006 |
| Memory Research & Meditation | 11-01-2006 |
| Lab Tests 101 | 09-20-2006 |
| HeartFelt Stress | 07-12-2006 |
| ‘Better Than Ever’ Life and Love Life after Prostate Cancer: One Man's Story |
06-14-2006 |
| Dogs & Chocolate |
02-22-2005 |
| Erectile
Dysfunction A distress signal from a whole ‘nuther part of the body |
07-12-2004 |
| Am I Losing My Mind? Or just my car keys? |
11-13-2003 |
| Don't Sweat It: (You Can Stop the Drip) |
10-09-2003 |
| What's Afoot? | 08-14-2003 |
| Feet, don't fail me now | 08-11-2003 |
| Living with Cancer: When Doctor Becomes Patient |
02-03-2003 |
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Food Irradiation
and Safety
On August 22, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a final rule that allows the use of irradiation to make fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach safer and last longer without spoiling.
Irradiating fresh iceberg lettuce and spinach will help protect consumers from disease-causing bacteria such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli). Illnesses from these bacteria range from uncomfortable symptoms to life-threatening health problems.
The foods affected by the final rule are
Irradiation (also sometimes termed "ionizing radiation") is a process of treating products with a measured dose of radiation. Food irradiation is not new. FDA has conducted irradiation safety evaluations for more than 40 years and has determined the process to be safe for use on a variety of foods.
After studying the safety of irradiating fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach, FDA has determined that these greens, when irradiated under the conditions specified in the final rule, retain their nutrient value and are safe to eat.
FDA considers irradiation a complement to, not a replacement for, proper food-handling by producers, processors, and consumers. Irradiation is just another tool to reduce the levels of disease-causing microorganisms on fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh pinach.
Irradiation does not take the place of washing. FDA continues to recommend that consumers wash fresh and bagged produce before eating unless the packaging specifically states that the product has been pre-washed.
For more information, go to: http://www.fda.gov)
