Health Canada plans to suggest amendments to the country’s Food and Drug Regulations in June which would add ground beef to the list of foods permitted to undergo radiation treatment before being sold in Canada.
The rationale behind changing the regulations is that irradiation of raw ground beef will prevent the spread of E. coli and other foodborne pathogens. However, Canadian health officials are well aware that public reaction to the idea has been negative so far. The proposal was floated by Health Canada in 20o2 but was never finalized, reportedly due to “mostly negative stakeholder reaction” and a general public skepticism that irradiation is safe. The plan was revived in 2013 after the 2012 beef recall by XL Foods Inc. in Brooks, Alberta. The largest beef recall in Canadian history, it involved 8 million pounds of beef, and the related E. coli O157:H7 outbreak sickened at least 18 Canadians. Industry groups north of the border have long advocated irradiation of beef and say that the time is right to initiate the practice. Some would also like to see chicken and salad vegetables irradiated prior to sale. “I think public perception has changed,” said Mark Klassen, director of technical services with the Albert-based Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. “When we ask Canadians if they think they should be able to purchase irradiated beef, they’re accepting of it.” However, critics of food irradiation say that it produces toxins such as benzene, reduces a food’s nutritional value, and changes the taste of the meat. Some claim that factory farms and feedlots want to irradiate meat so they can continue putting large numbers of animals into small, confined spaces where the animals, along with their water and food, are exposed to large amounts of feces.



FDA includes this statement on its consumer information website about irradiation of foods: “It is important to remember that irradiation is not a replacement for proper food-handling practices by producers, processors and consumers. Irradiated foods need to be stored, handled and cooked in the same way as non-irradiated foods, because they could still become contaminated with disease-causing organisms after irradiation if the rules of basic food safety are not followed.”
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