Irradiating Ground Beef To Enhance Food Safety

January-April 1997 33 I nsufficiently cooked ground beef was identified as the cause of a 1993 outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 illness in the Western United States when four children died and over 700 people became ill. The magnitude and media coverage of this and other recent foodborne illness outbreaks have helped elevate public awareness of foodborne microbial pathogens. The food industry and Federal agencies are enhancing their efforts to improve and ensure the safety of U.S. foods. These efforts include providing consumers with safe food handling information; revamping the inspection systems for meat, poultry, and seafood; and exploring alternative production processes to reduce pathogen contamination in animals and foods. One of the processes believed to be effective in reducing pathogen contamination is irradiation. Irradiation can offer consumers safer foods by controlling or reducing microbial pathogens which cause foodborne illness (see box). Irradiation can also extend the shelflife for some perishable food products, such as potatoes and strawberries. In the United States, irradiation is approved to control insects in foods and to delay ripening and sprouting in fresh fruits and vegetables. Federal regulators have also approved irradiation to decontaminate spices and dried vegetable seasonings. Among meat, poultry, and seafood products, Federal regulators have approved irradiation for pork and poultry. Approval of irradiation of seafood and other meats—including ground beef—is pending Federal review. Technical feasibility and regulatory approval of irradiation do not ensure its commercial adoption by the food industry. For companies to adopt irradiation, they must find that irradiation improves food quality and safety at a lower cost than do other technologies and they must be convinced that consumers will buy irradiated food products. Other processes, such as chemical and heat treatments, can also kill insects, mold, and microorganisms, including microbial pathogens in Irradiating Ground Beef To Enhance Food Safety