Dr. Joseph Mercola Says No To Food Irradiation

Friday, September 19, 2008

Can you imagine eating a "nuclear lunch" composed of irradiated vegetables and meat?

This may be what the future holds, thanks to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as it recently approved the irradiation of fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce to keep them free from E-coli and salmonella.

Food irradiation is the process of treating food with ionizing radiation, using either gamma rays, x-rays or high-speed electrons to kill microorganisms, bacteria, viruses or insects that might be present. The FDA assures that irradiated foods and non-irradiated foods have no difference yet the FDA website states that "irradiation can produce changes in food, similar to changes caused by cooking, but in smaller amounts."

The FDA approved irradiation of meat products based on only seven out of 441 animal studies and gave the go-signal to irradiate fruits and vegetables only on a theoretical calculation of the danger of the new chemicals that were created, not on any studies.

Food safety advocates strongly condemned the agency's decision, claiming that irradiation strips the food of nutrients, destroys natural flavor and introduces unsafe chemicals.

Dr. Joseph Mercola, a well-known natural health guru and the founder and editor of Mercola.com, the world's top natural health website, echoes this sentiment. He believes that food safety starts in the farm, where fruits and vegetables are grown and animals are raised. For Mercola, the solution to providing healthier and safer foods involves going back to the basics, not resorting to unproven and questionable high-technology practices like irradiation.

Mercola warns that our food is under attack from all sides. Pollution, pesticides, genetic modification and now, irradiation, all put food safety in question. That is why he provides the latest news and developments related to your health at Mercola.com. Because you need this information in order to stay healthy.

But Mercola.com gives you more than news and updates, it's your total health resource! Log on to Mercola.com now to start your journey towards good health!