Food Irradiation: Why Aren't We Using It?

Abstract

Despite its conceded effectiveness against foodborne pathogens, the use of irradiation is still uncommon in the food industry. The question is why a technology that is both extremely effective and safe by any scientific measure would be greeted with such hesitancy by the food industry. The goal of this paper is to provide some insight into that question. The first part of this paper provides background on the technology of food irradiation, the problem of foodborne microbial pathogens, and the effectiveness of food irradiation on that problem. The second part turns to the arguments against food irradiation, including scientific and economic arguments as well as "irrational" arguments (i.e., those arguments implicating concerns apart from safety or economic efficiency). The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these arguments for the future of food irradiation technology.