Irradiated Meat Coming to School Lunch Program

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Irradiated Meat Coming to School Lunch Program

The US Department of Agriculture is planning to include irradiated beef in the school lunch Program. The article indicates schools will be given a choice, but schools are always short of money and looking for ways to cut their budget or get extra income. The irradiated beef may end up cheaper or the nuclear irradiadiation plants might actually pay an incentive to the school if they use it. Contact your local legislators and school board to keep irradiated beef out of your schools. In New York City the City Council website is: www.council.nyc.ny.us to find your councilmember. Message: 8 Fri, 30 May 2003 11:28:31 -0400 "Mark Rausher/Present-Day Products" <presentdayprodsIrradiated Meat May Soon Be in SchoolsIrradiated Meat May Soon Be in SchoolsMay 30, 7:10 AM (ET)By EMILY GERSEMA WASHINGTON (AP) - Some of the 28 million children in the national schoollunch program may find irradiated hamburger on their plates as early as nextyear. The Agriculture Department is seeking suppliers to furnish ground meatzapped by bacteria-killing gamma rays or electricity. Despite apprehension among some people about the technology, the departmentissued specifications Thursday to schools notifying them of the comingavailability and said it will seek bids from potential suppliers by January."When compared with conventional beef, "the product that's irradiated isgoing to be safer, no question," said Elsa Murano, the department'sassistant secretary in charge of food safety. Congress ordered the department last year to start accepting irradiation asa method of sanitizing meat for the school lunch program. Irradiated meathas been allowed in grocery stores since 1999, when the AgricultureDepartment concluded the benefits - preventing food poisoning - outweighedany risk of side effects. The American Medical Association said it believes irradiation can helpreduce the number of deaths and illnesses caused by food poisoning as longas it is used with other sanitary methods such as proper storage to keepmeat free of bacteria. Eric Bost, head of the department's Food and Nutrition Service, whichoverseas the school lunch program, said he doesn't know yet how muchirradiated hamburger the government will purchase. An estimated 132 million pounds of ground beef, at a price of $1.25 perpound, was provided to schools in the lunch program last year. Irradiatedhamburger costs up to 20 cents more per pound. "Each school district will have the option to choose between irradiated andnon-irradiated ground beef products and will decide how to notify parentsand students if they choose to offer them," Bost said. So far, only one local school system - Point Arena, Calif., with 500students - has outright rejected using irradiated meat in its lunch program,according to Public Citizen, a group that contends researchers have yet toprove the meat won't cause cancer. "We're very fearful of what will happen when we go through a wholegeneration of kids that have been consuming this stuff," said Tony Corbo, aspokesman for the group. "They're going to use the kids as an experiment." Research shows that most of the radiation passes through without beingabsorbed. The small amount that does remain kills the bacteria. Studies on laboratory animals "for over the last 30 to 40 years, not only inthe United States but worldwide, have shown there is no health effect thatis detrimental to people," Murano said. The Agriculture Department has begun an information campaign on irradiatedmeat after research indicated consumers have been slow to accept it partlybecause they have not been told of benefits. The department plans to sendout brochures to schools for distribution to parents. Irradiated meat carries a radura symbol, resembling a flower in the middleof a circle. Packages also carry a message explaining to consumers that themeat has been treated with irradiation. Bost said the department will encourage school systems to label irradiatedmeat in lunch lines and notify parents that it is being served, but addedthat the government cannot require either. --- On the Net: National School Lunch Program: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/default.htm