Now lemons too?

[Guest guest]

 

Oh, my heart sank when i saw this article.  What does this mean? Will lemon now

be irradiated?

 

Melly

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USDA amends regulations for lemons and tomatoes

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service (APHIS) is amending the list of regulated articles in its domestic fruit

fly quarantine regulations.

 

The regulations have indicated that smooth-skinned lemons (all varieties of

Citrus limon) harvested for packing by commercial packinghouses are not

regulated articles for Mediterranean fruit fly. We are amending the regulations

to designate all yellow lemons as regulated articles. This change is based on

research indicating that, under certain conditions, yellow lemons are a host for

Mediterranean fruit fly. As a result of this action, yellow lemons in an area

quarantined for Mediterranean fruit fly will be subject to certain interstate

movement restrictions in order to prevent the spread of that pest into

uninfested areas of the United States.

 

APHIS is also amending the regulations to correct the previously published entry

for tomatoes to indicate that only pink and red ripe tomatoes are regulated

articles for Mediterranean fruit fly, while all tomatoes, regardless of the

stage of ripeness, are regulated articles for melon, Oriental and peach fruit

flies.

 

This action is published in today’s March 18 Federal Register and becomes

effective April 19.

 

Publication date: 3/18/2010