Jasmine Wells

Mrs. Hall
May 6, y

To Eat or Not to Eat?

Food Irradiation

Food has always been essential to our life. But

despite that weve always had to take precautions to make

ourself safe while eating them. Food Irradiation is a

technology that will improve safety for us, by extending the

shelf life of food by either eliminating organisms or reducing the

microorganisms and insects. Food Irradiation had been around for hundreds

of years and will continue to be further improved to help us sustain in life.

Many research has been done so that we will have longer lasting food.

The centers for disease control estimated that around 3,000 people die per

year due to food borne illness. Food Irradiation is also one of the most

throughly researched food processing techniques. Not only that, but many

organizations have researched food irradiation such as, public health

agencies, US Centers for Disease Control and the World Health

Organizations. These are some of many who have researched to make sure

its safe for us.

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 Food Irradiation is a process that we use to help our food to last longer.

This has many benefits such as preventing food borne illnesses which would

get rid of organisms that case food borne illness such as Salmonella and E

Coli.

There are many goods and bad stuff about food irradiation although

the good outweighs the bad. Around 15-18 million pounds of irradiated

ground beef and poultry get marketed through the US each year. Which

helps to preserve out food and make it safer. It was also estimated that if

around 50% of our poultry, ground beef, pork and processed meats were

irradiated then there would be a 25% reduction for the morbidity and

mortality rate. Irradiation can prevent around 900,000 cases of infection,

8,500 hospitalizations, more than 6,000 catastrophic illnesses and about 350

deaths per year. Not only that but around 1/3 of commercial spices are

irradiated and consumed in the Untied States, helping them to last longer.

Now although those are some good sides to Irradiation, like most other

things there are also bad that come with. Such as most consumers not

knowing the proper cooking temperatures of the foods that are susceptible

for pathogenic bacteria, due to every food item having a different

temperature that would kill potential pathogenic bacteria. Another reason is

because extending the food life of an item is unnatural and not to mention

unhealthy. Although you dont lose many of them, nutrients are still being

lost in the process of irradiation.

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 I agree with food irradiation mainly because despite the some downsides

to it, ultimately the positive things it does for us and our society, ,and even

around the world are good. Not only is it helping our food, but its also

brining down the death and sickness rate. I also feel that if we continue to

spend money on research for food irradiation then well eventually be able to

have every food item irradiated and possibly even find a way to make food

not spoil for 10+ years which would cut down the spending of food. Food

irradiation is something that not every are able to do to their foods. By the

time we send stuff to India it will have spoiled but with the help of food

irradiation we can help to prevent that.

Now there are many pros and cons to Irradiation but pros are much

better as it does stuff such as preventing food borne illness as ive

mentioned many ties before. Helping to preserve our food, controlling

insects, delaying the spotting and ripening and our plants, and providing

sterilization. But the cons are very high, as it is a process using either one of

three things. Gamma rays which can kill living cells, using x-rays, or electron

beams. By using these processes they use radioactive waves. They even

give less of a choice for consumers to choose whether or not there foods are

or arent irradiated. This also raises the concerns for about food hygiene, as

it eliminates warning signs of food spoilage.

In a way risk and benefits are like pros and cons but arent. There are

certain risk to FD (Food Irradiation) such as there is no defiant promise that

irradiating your food will kill all bacteria and pathogens. This also leads to

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factory workers overcrowding animals in warehouses, not only that but this

can cause rare caners, and chromosome abnormalities and even deaths can

occur. The colors and textures can also be a risk because the vitamins and

minerals are also put at a risk durning irradiation. Flavors and textures of can

also be altered through this process.

But there also is benefits to it. Such as causing immune deficiency.

People who suffer from diseases that depresses there immune systems, or

whom become ill from most general food contaminants can also remove

them with food irradiation. This will also help us to take proactive measures

against insects who live eggs in grains which can cause a variety of problems

for our health.

These benefits would help countries in poverty such as Africa. Places like

these where they're low on food and water, and if we were to transfer food to

them, having them irradiated would help them to not spoil. This would also

help them so they could have foods and not die from illness they contract

from the foods they have. Not only Africa but this could help other countries

that often die for food borne illnesses.

Now despite all these positive things there are huge concerns for FD. To

start with its not safe due to to the lose of nutrients. It also doesnt inactive

some of the dangerous toxins that are produced by bacteria. Besides that it

can lead consumers into thinking that their foods are safer which will then

cause them to fail the measures that are necessary to prevent cross

contamination. Workers can also risk accidental exposure to the dangerous

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levels of radiation that they're exposed to. Not to mention that its expensive

to go through this process to irradiate the food. Also accidents that have

occurred leads to radioactive spills and contaminates the surround land

areas and water. Construction of irradiation plants can also mean more

transportation of radioactive materials which heightens the risk of accidents.

Food irradiation started with the development of nuclear technologies

when suitable radiation sources started to become more available. The US

and Britain were the first patents that were issued for the use of ionizing

radiation to kill the bacteria that were in the foods in 1905. This became

more and more popular in 1947 when researches had found out that the

meats and other foods were able to be sterilized by the high engird levels

and proceeds were seen to have the potentials to preserve food for military

troops in the field.

With all of that being said, food irradiation is essential for human life to

survive and for our food to last. By preserving foods and sterilizing them with

high levels of radiation they can also help prevent illness ultimately saving

thousands of lives. Although there are negatives to it, like it with everything.

The negatives in food irradiation overpower the good.

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