MICROBIO: FDA holds up technology preventing food poisoning

Enigl@aol.com
Fri, 29 Aug 1997 17:48:03 -0400 (EDT)

The National Food Processors Association (NFPA) and the USDA wants FDA to
lift the ban on meat irradiation to prevent food poisoning such as Hudson
Food's ground beef:

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Efforts by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture to help ensure the safety of the nation's food supply "should
focus on preventing food safety problems, rather than on unnecessarily
expanding USDA's enforcement powers," according to Dane Bernard, Vice
President of Food Safety Programs for the National Food Processors
Association
(NFPA).

It is NFPA's belief that USDA should focus its resources on *prevention*
of
food safety problems, rather than on greater recall *authority.* More than
four
years ago, USDA asked FDA to approve the use of food irradiation -- a
treatment that kills pathogens such as _E. coli_ 0157:H7 and _Salmonella_ --
on
red meat. This scientifically proven safe and effective technology has
already been approved for a number of other food products, such as fruits,
vegetables and poultry. Irradiation for food has been endorsed by an array
of national and international food safety and health experts. USDA should
press FDA to act now. The safety studies have all been completed and have
passed multiple peer reviews four years ago. The FDA should not wait to make
this important food safety tool available for use on meat.

--------------------------------------------------
Dynamically Optimistic,

Davin

http://members.aol.com/enigl/

August 29, 1997
2:20 pm PACIFIC