For food safety’s sake, zap it with irradiation

Say the word “irradiation,” and a lot of people will shudder. Now ask them about irradiated food, and they’ll quickly say something like “definitely not.”

Yet as far back as 1999, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved  the irradiation of certain foods as a safe and efficient way to kill foodborne germs.

In saying that, it named an impressive group of pathogens: E. coli, Salmonella Listeria , Bacillus cereus, Clostridium botulinum, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Campylobacter jejuini, Cyclospora and Taxoplasma gondii. Not only that, it can also kill insects and moulds.

Health authorities said that irradiating food that is contaminated with foodborne pathogens keeps the food safe for consumers, as long as they follow standard food-safety practices Other agencies followed suit, among them the Environmental Protection Agency, the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, U.S. Public Health Service, the Mayo Clinic, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Yes, even astronauts eat irradiated food.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refers to food irradiation as “a tool to keep food safe from germs.” In its favor, says the agency, it does not change the texture or appearance of food; the food does not become radioactive; and the process is safe and effective.”

Thousands of stores, as well as distributors such as Omaha Steaks and Schwans and the retail chain Wegman’s, sell irradiated ground beef. With a bow to consumers, the packaging must bear the radura symbol, an international indicator that a food item has undergone irradiation. In the U.S.,the symbol must also include labeling with either the statement “treated with radiation” or “treated by irradiation.”

In May 2002, Wegmans Food Markets, based in Rochester, N.Y., made headlines as the first supermarket chain in the United States to introduce irradiated fresh ground beef under its own private-label brand, Wegmans Irradiated Fresh Ground Beef. The chain says the difference between the burgers that have been irradiated and other hamburgers is the important role irradiation plays in food safety.

In addition, irradiated meat and poultry are also used in some health care facilities where a high level of safety is required. 

Among the foods that are good candidates for irradiation are beef, pork, poultry, eggs in shells, shellfish, such as shrimp, lobster, crab, oysters, clams, mussels, scallops, fresh fruits and vegetables, including leafy greens, seed for sprouting, spices and seasonings.

Important to keep in mind through all of this is that irradiated food is not radioactive. In irradiation, the radiant energy passes through the food. The food itself never contacts the source of the radiant energy. And no radioactive energy remains in the food after it has been treated.

So, how does it work?
Irradiation works by disrupting the molecular structure and killing potentially harmful bacteria and parasites by damaging their DNA and preventing reproduction.

Starting off, once the food is produced, it enters an irradiation chamber where it is exposed to a specific amount of radiation as it rides on a conveyor belt through the chamber.

While in the chamber, the food passes under a beam of radiation. This kills germs by breaking the bonds that hold the germ’s DNA together. Once the food leaves the irradiation chamber, most of the germs are destroyed. From there the food goes to grocery stores and food processing facilities.

Researchers say that irradiation can make foods that are typically eaten raw, like some produce, safer. It can also make raw foods such as ground beef that are cooked safer to handle. That’s because irradiation kills most of the germs in the food before the consumer buys it. They say it’s helpful to think of food irradiation as an added layer of protection against harmful germs that can cause foodborne illnesses.

What about nutrients?
Researchers say that irradiated foods are generally nutritionally equivalent to non-irradiated foods subjected to normal processing such as boiling and canning — even better in some cases. They also point out that radiation processing can lead to an increment in the nutritional value of irradiated fruits and vegetables such as vitamin C content and phenolic compounds.

However, the International Consultative Group on Food Irradiation cautions that just as vitamins vary in their sensitivity to heat, so do they vary in their sensitivity to radiation. Vitamins A, F, C, K, and B-1 (thiamine) in foods are relatively sensitive to irradiation, while some other B vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin D are much more stable.

The challenges
Even though irradiation has been recognized as safe by authorities, many consumers are reluctant to buy irradiated food. Researchers have even found that not only is public awareness about it lower than they’d like to see, they have found that some people don’t even know what irradiation is.

The good news, though is that once consumers understand what it is and become aware of the benefits of irradiated food. they won’t be so reluctant to buy it.

“I don’t like to have to worry about foodborne illnesses. . . So to know that there was an extra step to make sure that any kind of germ that could make the meat bad was irradiated out of it. . . that doesn’t scare me,” said a participant in a study group.

Another participant said “For me, ground beef is a real scary purchase because they say when we buy commercial hamburger in the market, that may be from 100 cows all mixed together. . . So, especially for something like ground beef, irradiation would really cut the risk.”

And another participant pointed to lettuce, saying that “those leafy greens that have caused a lot of foodborne illnesses. I definitely would prefer it irradiated.”

As for cost, irradiated foods cost a bit more than conventional foods — about 2 or 3 cents more per pounds for fruits and vegetables and up to 25 cents more per pound for meat and poultry products.

Gaining in acceptance?
The results in a study published in 2025 in the” Italian Journal of Food Safety,” showed that acceptance of irradiated food has significantly increased in the past 3 years — from 33 percent in 1992 up to 67 percent in 2024. At the same time, consumers refusal to buy irradiated food decreased from 19 percent to 16 percent globally.

Even so, some researchers refer to a “stark variability” in acceptance rates when comparing developing countries with la lower rate of acceptance to highly industrialized countries.

Looking to the future
Ron Eustice of the Minnesota Beef Council predicts that in the future irradiated beef will be as readily available as pasteurized milk is today. 

“It is is destined to become the fourth pillar of public health along with pasteurization, immunization and chlorination,” he said.

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here)